Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,060 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Cali
Learn more

Cali Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,060 in Cali.

Lisbon $2,223
Cali $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,626 in Cali.

Lisbon $3,271
Cali $1,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,192 in Cali.

Lisbon $4,319
Cali $2,192

Living in Lisbon is roughly 110% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Cali is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$7.32 COP 23.2K

125.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$37.35 COP 118.4K

63.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.32 COP 26.4K

35.46%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.52 COP 4,832

101.32%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.23 COP 3,885

83.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.86 COP 2,728

101.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.11 COP 9,872

9.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.80 COP 12.1K

-10.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.54 COP 4,891

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.96 COP 6,203

-5.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.48 COP 4,701

3.38%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.91 COP 9,242

36.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$6.31 COP 20.0K

102.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$6.85 COP 21.7K

15.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.22 COP 32.4K

66.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.45 COP 10.9K

-34.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.40 COP 4,433

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.79 COP 5,668

3.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.65 COP 5,223

55.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.43 COP 4,539

30.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.55 COP 4,917

30.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.14 COP 3,613

26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.94 COP 2,983

-12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.79 COP 12.0K

73.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.94 COP 41.0K

-56.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.43 COP 4,539

-10.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.55 COP 8,079

-18.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.07 COP 3,387

119.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$30.29 COP 96.0K

45.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.78 COP 2,488

411.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.34 COP 4,245

70.15%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$35.4K COP 112.1M

11.11%

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

$167 €149

$110 COP 347.5K

52.82%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$12.96 COP 41.1K

45.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$30.06 COP 95.3K

10.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$28.81 COP 91.3K

59.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.40 COP 26.6K

17.14%

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$78.4 COP 248.5K

29.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$53.2 COP 168.8K

-14.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$126 COP 398.3K

-20.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$111 COP 351.4K

10.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$655 COP 2.1M

146.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$288 COP 914.6K

314.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,558 COP 4.9M

83.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$498 COP 1.6M

300.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$585 COP 1.9M

171.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.58

-66.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Cali

$288 27.2% 75.9% $909

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Cali

$239 22.5% 11.4% $31

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Cali

$133 12.6% 45% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Cali

$153 14.4% 30.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cali

$166 15.6% 0.5% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Cali

$46 4.3% 30.6% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Cali

$35 * 3.3% 43.9% $28

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 $655 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 171% 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 $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $239 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

23:22 11:22 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Cali 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 110% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 171% 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 $655 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 46% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,060 in Cali versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali 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 Cali 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 Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.