Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Boquete

For one person, living is cheaper in Boquete: $1,462 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Boquete
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Boquete Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Boquete

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Boquete

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 Boquete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,462 in Boquete.

Lisbon $2,223
Boquete $1,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,237 in Boquete.

Lisbon $3,271
Boquete $2,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,011 in Boquete.

Lisbon $4,319
Boquete $3,011

Living in Lisbon is roughly 52% more expensive than in Boquete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Boquete 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$6.48 PAB 6.48

154.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$39.69 PAB 39.69

54.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.65 PAB 7.65

47.32%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.88 PAB 3.88

-21.13%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.36 PAB 1.36

66.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.15 PAB 1.15

50.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.27 PAB 2.27

49.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.08 PAB 5.08

-33.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.81 PAB 1.81

-38.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.15 PAB 2.15

-13.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.25 PAB 2.25

-32.00%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.60 PAB 2.60

52.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$9.62 PAB 9.62

32.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.53 PAB 7.53

4.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$15.28 PAB 15.28

11.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.33 PAB 4.33

-47.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.01 PAB 1.01

73.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.40 PAB 4.40

-57.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.23 PAB 2.23

15.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.21 PAB 2.21

-15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.14 PAB 2.14

-5.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.30 PAB 2.30

-37.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.65 PAB 1.65

-50.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.02 PAB 5.02

30.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.85 PAB 7.85

-28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.20 PAB 1.20

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.59 PAB 2.59

-20.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.35 PAB 1.35

74.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$24.55 PAB 24.55

79.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.02 PAB 1.02

291.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.06 PAB 2.06

-47.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$30.39 PAB 30.39

-45.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.13 PAB 1.13

101.77%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$25.5K PAB 25.5K

31.86%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$22.1K PAB 22.1K

78.19%

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

$167 €149

$58.0 PAB 58.0

188.68%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$25.95 PAB 25.95

-27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$42.16 PAB 42.16

-21.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$82.5 PAB 82.5

-44.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$17.48 PAB 17.48

9.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.33 PAB 6.33

55.45%

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$6,075 PAB 6,075

178.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$25.42 PAB 25.42

298.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$25.48 PAB 25.48

79.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$44.14 PAB 44.14

126.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$825 PAB 825

95.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$710 PAB 710

68.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,551 PAB 1,551

84.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,284 PAB 1,284

54.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,181 PAB 1,181

541.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,150 PAB 1,150

274.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$784 PAB 784

102.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.5

-40.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Boquete: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Boquete

$710 48.5% 40.7% $488

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Boquete

$295 20.2% 9.4% $25

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Boquete

$153 10.5% 36.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Boquete

$126 8.6% 42.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Boquete

$43 * 2.9% 74.3% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Boquete

$95 6.5% 44.9% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Boquete

$41 2.8% 34.5% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $825 in Boquete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 102% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $40.00 in Boquete. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $295, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇦 Boquete

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

12:35 12:35 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Boquete 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Boquete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boquete is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 102% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $825 in Boquete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,462 in Boquete – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,462 in Boquete versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Boquete but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Boquete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Boquete is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Boquete 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 Boquete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.