Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/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: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Lisbon $2,202
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Lisbon $3,274
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Lisbon $4,346
Barcelona $4,431

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 62% above, Barcelona 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$17.89 €15.92

-4.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$66.2 €58.9

-5.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$13.69 €12.18

-19.50%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.06 €2.72

1.96%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.07 €2.73

-26.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.94 €1.73

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.87 €3.44

-11.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.61 €4.10

-18.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.30 €1.16

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.10 €1.87

-11.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.83 €1.62

-15.85%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.62 €4.11

-12.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$17.36 €15.44

-25.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.28 €8.25

-14.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$19.83 €17.64

-11.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.01 €2.68

-24.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.03 €1.81

-13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.65 €2.36

-28.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.87 €2.55

-10.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.16 €1.92

-14.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.15 €1.91

-8.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.47 €1.31

-1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.88 €0.79

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.93 €6.16

-3.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.83 €6.96

-27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.39 €1.24

-1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.63 €2.34

-19.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.91 €2.59

-20.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$25.46 €22.64

74.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.00 €2.66

31.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.44 €1.28

-27.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$33.20 €29.53

-48.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.86 €1.65

17.74%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$32.3K €28.8K

4.46%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$31.7K €28.2K

20.70%

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

$164 €146

$183 €163

-10.37%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$13.61 €12.11

35.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$32.93 €29.29

0.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$54.7 €48.65

-16.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$16.52 €14.70

13.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.23 €9.99

-13.18%

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

$684 €608

$954 €849

-28.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$16.6K €14.8K

6.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$86.0 €76.5

20.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$39.11 €34.78

18.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$104 €92.2

-3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$119 €106

5.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,695 €1,508

-6.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,276 €1,135

-8.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,576 €2,291

10.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,922 €1,710

3.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$7,281 €6,477

7.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$5,010 €4,456

-11.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,227 €1,981

-28.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.28

17.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 9.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 19.1% $52

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 8.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 6.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 7.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 18% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Barcelona

$47 2% 24.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 39% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $325 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

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

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Between locations

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

From you

Lisbon
Barcelona

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 8% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,381 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $954 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 $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,381 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 8% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.