Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,203 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $2,405 in Barcelona.

Lisbon $2,203
Barcelona $2,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $3,477 in Barcelona.

Lisbon $3,237
Barcelona $3,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $4,550 in Barcelona.

Lisbon $4,272
Barcelona $4,550

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 8% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Barcelona 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.17

$17.98 €16.03

-5.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €55.9

$67.4 €60.1

-7.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.18

$13.37 €11.92

-14.58%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.75

$3.34 €2.98

-7.49%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.95 €2.63

-19.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.90 €1.69

-12.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.88 €3.46

-10.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$4.57 €4.08

-28.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.27 €1.13

-7.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.96 €1.74

-4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.75 €1.56

-13.14%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$4.89 €4.36

-20.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.48

$17.47 €15.58

-26.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$9.06 €8.08

-12.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.72

$20.18 €17.99

-12.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.08 €2.74

-26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.03 €1.81

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.60 €2.32

-27.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.71 €2.42

-8.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.15 €1.92

-13.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.21 €1.97

-6.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.54 €1.37

-9.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.93 €0.83

-12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$7.09 €6.32

-2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$7.63 €6.80

-27.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.49 €1.33

-10.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.73 €2.43

-20.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.95 €2.63

-24.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.25

$25.91 €23.11

74.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$3.13 €2.79

27.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.45 €1.29

-26.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.74

$34.17 €30.46

-51.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.79 €1.60

26.26%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.5K €29.9K

$34.7K €30.9K

-3.40%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.5K €36.1K

$30.3K €27.0K

33.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$164 €146

$181 €161

-9.46%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.54 €16.53

$13.56 €12.09

36.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.61

$35.12 €31.31

-5.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.02

$53.2 €47.40

-13.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.77

$16.05 €14.31

17.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.44

$11.37 €10.13

-16.71%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$690 €615

$939 €837

-26.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$16.5K €14.7K

2.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$88.2 €78.7

18.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.37

$39.77 €35.46

13.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.2

$103 €92.2

-4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$119 €107

3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,411

$1,695 €1,512

-6.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,078

$1,301 €1,160

-7.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,526

$2,576 €2,297

9.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,751

$1,941 €1,731

1.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,815

$7,470 €6,660

2.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,951

$5,195 €4,631

-14.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,402

$2,299 €2,050

-31.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.28

15.55%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 7.6% $91

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 19.5% $53

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 9.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 6.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 5.9% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 16.8% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 24.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 46% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $67.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $325 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Barcelona 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Barcelona differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $2,405 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Barcelona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Lisbon versus $939 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,203 in Lisbon versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.