Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and the Canary Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Canary Islands: $1,638 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
79

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in the Canary Islands

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 the Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands.

Lisbon $2,210
Canary Islands $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,372 in the Canary Islands.

Lisbon $3,275
Canary Islands $2,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,106 in the Canary Islands.

Lisbon $4,341
Canary Islands $3,106

Living in Lisbon is roughly 35% more expensive than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Canary Islands 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$20.18 €18.08

-17.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$60.0 €53.7

2.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$9.48 €8.49

19.83%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.03 €1.82

46.31%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.85 €1.66

23.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.11 €0.99

56.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.75 €2.46

23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.34 €2.99

-0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.33 €1.19

-12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.47 €2.21

-22.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.55 €1.38

-2.58%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.18 €1.95

84.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$19.29 €17.29

-32.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.07 €9.02

-22.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$17.76 €15.91

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.66 €2.38

-13.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.29 €2.05

-24.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.18 €1.96

-14.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.51 €2.25

3.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.08 €1.87

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.00 €1.79

-1.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.69 €1.51

-13.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.91 €0.82

-20.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.70 €4.21

40.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.83 €7.02

-28.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.62 €1.45

-16.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.74 €1.56

22.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.82 €0.73

184.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.23 €3.79

-8.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.63 €1.46

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$17.05 €15.28

-3.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.70 €1.52

29.41%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$24.1K €21.6K

41.86%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$30.6K €27.4K

26.71%

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

$161 €144

$122 €110

31.72%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$21.05 €18.86

-12.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$34.53 €30.94

-5.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$47.66 €42.71

-6.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$24.64 €22.08

-22.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.93 €8.90

-3.32%

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

$668 €598

$398 €357

67.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,943 €4,429

256.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$67.9 €60.8

50.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$39.80 €35.67

11.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$92.4 €82.8

6.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$112 €100

10.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,121 €1,004

43.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$672 €602

77.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$844 €756

138.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,366 €1,224

15.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.33

15.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Canary Islands

$672 41% 43.5% $518

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Canary Islands

$318 19.4% 16.7% $46

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Canary Islands

$246 15.1% 1.6% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Canary Islands

$178 10.9% 16.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Canary Islands

$140 8.6% 15.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Canary Islands

$68 4.1% 5.9% $3.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 75.2% $48

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 $1,121 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 15% 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 $60 in the Canary Islands. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $318, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

12,050

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Canary Islands 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Canary Islands wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Canary Islands the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,121 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands – Canary Islands is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,638 in the Canary Islands versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in the Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Canary Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Canary Islands are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Canary Islands wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.