Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cartagena, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,425 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,425 in Cartagena.

Lisbon $2,210
Cartagena $1,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,101 in Cartagena.

Lisbon $3,275
Cartagena $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,778 in Cartagena.

Lisbon $4,341
Cartagena $2,778

Living in Lisbon is roughly 55% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Cartagena 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$13.84 €12.40

20.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$56.2 €50.3

9.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$7.95 €7.12

42.89%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.47 €2.21

20.24%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.56 €2.30

-10.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.82 €1.63

-4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.42 €3.06

-0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.86 €3.46

-14.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.22 €1.09

-4.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.19 €1.06

60.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.63 €2.35

-42.59%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.96 €3.54

1.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.82 €11.48

0.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$6.71 €6.01

15.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$18.75 €16.79

-5.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.37 €2.12

-2.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.45 €2.19

-29.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.58 €1.42

17.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.20 €2.87

-19.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.28 €1.14

42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.26 €1.13

56.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.53 €1.37

-3.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.69 €0.62

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.71 €5.11

15.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.30 €5.64

-10.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.21 €1.08

12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.17 €1.05

82.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.48 €1.32

57.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$11.08 €9.93

303.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.65 €5.06

-31.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.23 €2.00

-52.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$27.72 €24.83

-40.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.77 €1.59

24.29%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$34.6K €30.9K

-1.06%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$29.9K €26.7K

29.70%

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

$161 €144

$211 €189

-23.62%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$19.43 €17.40

-5.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$29.27 €26.21

11.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$41.23 €36.92

8.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$12.81 €11.47

49.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.72 €6.91

24.35%

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

$668 €598

$406 €364

64.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,651 €2,374

564.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$46.46 €41.61

119.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$34.88 €31.24

27.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$60.6 €54.2

62.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$101 €90.5

22.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$596 €534

169.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$490 €439

143.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$872 €781

222.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$720 €644

179.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$1,737 €1,556

351.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,427 €1,278

220.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,704 €1,526

-7.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.06

-5.17%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cartagena

$490 34.4% 58.9% $700

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cartagena

$269 18.9% 1.2% $3.1

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cartagena

$207 14.5% 14.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cartagena

$260 18.2% 22.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cartagena

$109 7.7% 34.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cartagena

$57 4% 11.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 46.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $596 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $56 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $269 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

21:21 9:21 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

218,050

💱 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 Cartagena 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $596 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $406 in Cartagena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $56 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cartagena is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Cartagena are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.