Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Calama

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Calama, Chile
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Calama
🇨🇱 Chile
$587
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Calama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $587 in Calama.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Calama $587

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,195 in Calama.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Calama $1,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,802 in Calama.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Calama $1,802

Living in Lisbon is roughly 276% more expensive than in Calama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Calama is 57% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.96
$6.93 CLP 6,816
140.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$31.87 CLP 31.4K
93.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$1.99 CLP 1,957
49.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$0.87 CLP 858
163.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.87 CLP 851
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$2.98 CLP 2,934
14.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$4.91 CLP 4,828
-32.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.12 CLP 1,103
3.57%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$0.80 CLP 784
138.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$2.68 CLP 2,636
-43.66%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$4.80 CLP 4,723
-16.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$8.98 CLP 8,835
44.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.99
$6.13 CLP 6,032
26.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.96
$7.42 CLP 7,304
139.35%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$1.19 CLP 1,167
93.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.03 CLP 1,010
67.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$1.49 CLP 1,462
24.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$1.08 CLP 1,065
139.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$0.90 CLP 882
102.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$0.98 CLP 960
101.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.92
$5.19 CLP 5,102
26.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$4.15 CLP 4,080
35.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.04 CLP 1,020
30.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$1.20 CLP 1,180
78.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.95 CLP 935
145.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.46 CLP 1,439
-26.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.42 CLP 1,401
54.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$40.80 CLP 40.1K
295.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$13.16 CLP 13.0K
148.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.03
$50.8 CLP 49.9K
-12.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$19.97 CLP 19.6K
-4.36%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$4.51 CLP 4,441
112.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$305 CLP 300.5K
118.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.7
$34.75 CLP 34.2K
193.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.95
$28.04 CLP 27.6K
58.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$44.75 CLP 44.0K
120.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$60.3 CLP 59.3K
105.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$322 CLP 316.9K
399.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$103 CLP 101.3K
1056.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,527
$795 CLP 782.4K
253.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,809
$617 CLP 606.6K
226.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,043
$1,406 CLP 1.4M
457.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,111
$1,221 CLP 1.2M
274.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Calama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$1,094 CLP 1.1M
44.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
5
-23.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Calama
$103 91.4% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Calama
$173 * 36.5% $99
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Calama
$111 * 54.3% $132
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Calama
$54 * 74.6% $158
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Calama
$76 54.5% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Calama
$60 6.2% $4
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Calama
$11 * 82.4% $52

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $322 in Calama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 44% 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 in Lisbon vs $32 in Calama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $173 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇨🇱 Calama
🕒 Local time
11:09 11:09 AM
08:09 8:09 AM
3 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
157,575
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,095 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Calama 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Calama

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 Calama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Calama?
Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Lisbon or in Calama?
Average pay runs 44% 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 much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lisbon compared to Calama?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $322 in Calama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Lisbon or in Calama?
Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Lisbon compared to Calama?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $587 in Calama – a 276% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $800/month in Lisbon or in Calama?
At $587 in Calama versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Lisbon or Calama?
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.
Should I move to Lisbon or to Calama?
It comes down to priorities – Calama wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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