Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Caldas da Rainha

For one person, living is cheaper in Caldas da Rainha: $1,538 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Caldas da Rainha $1,538

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,340 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Caldas da Rainha $2,340

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $3,142 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Caldas da Rainha $3,142

Lisbon costs about 44% more than Caldas da Rainha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Caldas da Rainha sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Caldas da Rainha by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$15.40 €13.80

8.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$50.5 €45.25

22.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.17 €9.12

11.70%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.04 €1.83

45.59%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.30 €2.06

-0.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.41 €1.26

23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.86 €2.56

18.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.84 €3.44

-13.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.11 €0.99

4.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.44 €1.29

32.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.01 €2.70

33.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.63 €9.52

21.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$7.38 €6.61

5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$12.87 €11.53

38.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.94 €1.73

18.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.36 €1.22

27.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.70 €1.53

9.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.41 €2.16

7.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.94 €1.74

-6.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.84 €1.65

7.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.27 €1.14

15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.85 €0.76

-15.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.56 €4.98

18.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$4.00 €3.58

40.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.66 €1.48

-18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.63 €1.46

31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.56 €3.19

-34.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$33.99 €30.46

31.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.87 €2.57

34.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.97 €1.77

11.68%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$34.0K €30.4K

0.62%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$37.4K €33.5K

3.51%

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

$161 €144

$110 €98.2

47.18%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$17.81 €15.96

3.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$38.39 €34.40

-14.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$49.37 €44.24

-9.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$27.77 €24.89

-31.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.96 €8.03

7.14%

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

$668 €598

$405 €363

64.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,554 €4,977

217.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$94.2 €84.4

8.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$41.21 €36.93

7.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$110 €99.0

-10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$68.2 €61.1

81.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$919 €824

74.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$666 €596

78.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,416 €1,269

98.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,136 €1,018

77.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,933 €2,629

167.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,287 €2,050

100.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,147 €1,028

37.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.11

23.79%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Caldas da Rainha

$666 43.3% 44.1% $524

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Caldas da Rainha

$232 15.1% 14.8% $40

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Caldas da Rainha

$215 14% 11.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Caldas da Rainha

$166 10.8% 22% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Caldas da Rainha

$141 9.2% 14.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Caldas da Rainha

$67 4.4% 5.6% $3.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Caldas da Rainha

$51 * 3.3% 19.2% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $919 in Caldas da Rainha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 37% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $50 in Caldas da Rainha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $232 – making Caldas da Rainha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

50,917

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Caldas da Rainha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,307 in Caldas da Rainha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caldas da Rainha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $919 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $50 in Caldas da Rainha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha. That makes Caldas da Rainha about 30% cheaper.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Caldas da Rainha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Caldas da Rainha. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.