Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cartago

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,281 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cartago

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $1,281 in Cartago, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Cartago $1,281

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,972 in Cartago, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Cartago $1,972

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $2,663 in Cartago, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Cartago $2,663

Lisbon costs about 74% more than Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Cartago is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$7.58 COP 24.0K

117.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$37.20 COP 118.0K

64.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.47 COP 26.8K

33.06%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.54 COP 4,868

98.70%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.28 COP 4,050

76.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.83 COP 2,626

108.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.10 COP 9,838

9.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.66 COP 11.6K

-7.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.60 COP 5,072

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.88 COP 5,954

-1.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.49 COP 4,737

2.68%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.93 COP 9,305

35.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$6.58 COP 20.9K

93.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.11 COP 22.5K

11.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.93 COP 31.5K

70.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.57 COP 11.3K

-36.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.32 COP 4,187

32.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.74 COP 5,513

6.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.63 COP 5,168

57.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.42 COP 4,508

30.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.50 COP 4,743

34.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.08 COP 3,432

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.03 COP 3,250

-20.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.69 COP 11.7K

77.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$13.12 COP 41.6K

-57.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.50 COP 4,741

-14.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.45 COP 7,770

-15.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.02 COP 3,234

130.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.79 COP 2,516

405.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.27 COP 7,207

-51.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$8.40 COP 26.6K

98.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.32 COP 4,198

72.73%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$28.0K COP 88.9M

20.15%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$34.6K COP 109.9M

13.41%

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

$167 €149

$110 COP 348.3K

52.49%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$13.23 COP 42.0K

42.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$30.26 COP 95.9K

9.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$42.32 COP 134.2K

8.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.24 COP 26.1K

19.42%

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

$677 €602

$701 COP 2.2M

-3.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$6,430 COP 20.4M

163.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$77.8 COP 246.6K

30.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$55.1 COP 174.8K

-17.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$127 COP 401.8K

-21.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$111 COP 350.6K

11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$645 COP 2.0M

150.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$509 COP 1.6M

135.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,041 COP 3.3M

174.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$970 COP 3.1M

105.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,999 COP 6.3M

279.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,803 COP 5.7M

138.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

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 Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Cartago

$509 39.7% 57.5% $688

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Cartago

$241 18.8% 10.6% $28

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Cartago

$136 10.6% 44% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Cartago

$153 12% 30.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cartago

$167 13% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Cartago

$59 4.6% 10.5% $6.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Cartago

$16 * 1.3% 74.2% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $645 in Cartago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $37.00 in Cartago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $241 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇴 Cartago

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

135,365

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Cartago 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,921 in Cartago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,223 in Lisbon and $1,281 in Cartago. That's a gap of about 74%.

Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Lisbon and $701 in Cartago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cartago, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Cartago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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