Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $767 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Boracay
🇵🇭 Philippines
$767
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Boracay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $767 in Boracay.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Boracay $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,309 in Boracay.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Boracay $1,309

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,852 in Boracay.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Boracay $1,852

Living in Lisbon is roughly 187% more expensive than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Boracay is 43% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$5.41 ₱341
214.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$19.31 ₱1,216
222.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$5.92 ₱373
86.15%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$2.34 ₱147
33.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$0.65 ₱41.15
249.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.23 ₱14.45
656.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$1.16 ₱73.1
194.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$1.88 ₱118
98.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$2.84 ₱179
-58.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.21 ₱76.3
53.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$0.91 ₱57.4
69.23%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$1.89 ₱119
114.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$5.35 ₱337
141.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$4.69 ₱295
68.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$7.68 ₱484
129.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.64 ₱166
-14.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.56 ₱98.0
12.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$2.62 ₱165
-27.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$1.27 ₱79.7
101.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$1.83 ₱115
1.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.72 ₱108
14.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$0.89 ₱56.3
62.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.51 ₱31.88
50.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$2.28 ₱144
194.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$7.74 ₱487
-26.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.05 ₱66.0
30.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$2.05 ₱129
2.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$0.26 ₱16.36
792.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
$11.28 ₱710
293.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$0.77 ₱48.21
412.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$0.19 ₱11.90
452.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$1.82 ₱114
842.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.12 ₱70.5
95.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$20.5K ₱1.3M
64.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$17.4K ₱1.1M
119.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$109 ₱6,893
49.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$14.77 ₱930
25.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$34.01 ₱2,141
-3.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$35.58 ₱2,240
28.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
$5.31 ₱334
251.79%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$5.03 ₱317
93.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$113 ₱7,126
504.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$7,986 ₱502.8K
120.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$32.97 ₱2,076
214.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$20.20 ₱1,272
128.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$64.0 ₱4,031
55.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$53.1 ₱3,345
134.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$263 ₱16.6K
503.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$173 ₱10.9K
576.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$520 ₱32.7K
448.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$619 ₱39.0K
221.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$2,427 ₱152.8K
221.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$996 ₱62.7K
343.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Boracay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
$226 ₱14.2K
608.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
6.79
-43.30%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Boracay
$173 85.2% $996
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Boracay
$197 27.9% $76
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Boracay
$102 58.7% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Boracay
$158 26.5% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Boracay
$77 54.5% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Boracay
$46 30.2% $20
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Boracay
$14 77.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $263 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 609% 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 $19.00 in Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $197 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇵🇭 Boracay
🕒 Local time
17:56 5:56 PM
00:56 12:56 AM
7 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
12,296
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Boracay 12,430 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Boracay

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Lisbon vs Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Boracay?
Lisbon and Boracay differ by about 187% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $767 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Boracay?
Average pay runs 609% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Boracay?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $263 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $767 in Boracay versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Boracay?
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.
Is Lisbon or Boracay safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Boracay are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Boracay?
Expats usually find Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 187% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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