Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cento

For one person, living is cheaper in Cento: $1,638 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cento

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,638 in Cento.

Lisbon $2,206
Cento $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,655 in Cento.

Lisbon $3,276
Cento $2,655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,672 in Cento.

Lisbon $4,346
Cento $3,672

Living in Lisbon is roughly 35% more expensive than in Cento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Cento 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$20.05 €17.81

-15.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$90.2 €80.2

-32.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$13.35 €11.86

-17.75%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$2.27 €2.02

34.36%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$3.45 €3.06

-33.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.64 €1.45

2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$6.09 €5.41

-43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$5.62 €5.00

-30.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.43 €1.27

-19.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.76 €2.45

-31.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.72 €2.41

-44.85%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.87 €3.44

6.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$18.13 €16.10

-28.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$12.27 €10.90

-34.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$17.32 €15.39

3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.24 €1.99

1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.70 €1.51

2.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.95 €1.73

-6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.46 €2.18

9.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.35 €1.20

31.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.41 €1.25

37.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.63 €1.45

-10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.56 €0.50

35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$6.67 €5.92

-0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$7.78 €6.91

-27.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.56 €1.38

-17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.89 €1.68

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.63 €1.45

41.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

$42.22 €37.51

4.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$4.48 €3.98

-11.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.48 €1.32

-56.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$27.78 €24.68

-31.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$2.10 €1.86

8.57%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$35.5K €31.6K

-6.04%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$37.9K €33.7K

1.52%

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

$158 €141

$237 €211

-33.25%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$11.28 €10.02

55.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$27.99 €24.86

11.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$53.5 €47.56

-16.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

$23.42 €20.80

-18.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$10.15 €9.02

-5.62%

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

$674 €598

$425 €377

58.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$4,424 €3,930

323.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$88.3 €78.4

15.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$43.51 €38.65

5.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$93.5 €83.0

9.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$150 €133

-18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$536 €476

206.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$444 €394

167.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$1,062 €943

165.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$915 €813

120.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

$2,942 €2,613

166.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

$2,022 €1,796

132.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$1,779 €1,580

-5.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.19

19.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cento: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cento

$444 27.1% 62.6% $744

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Cento

$325 19.8% 18.3% $50

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Cento

$290 17.7% 18.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Cento

$276 16.9% 33.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Cento

$169 10.3% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cento

$74 4.5% 15.8% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Cento

$61 3.7% 0.4% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $536 in Cento. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $90 in Cento for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $325 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Cento

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

35,582

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Cento 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Cento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 5% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $536 in Cento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cento runs roughly 4% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $425 in Cento. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,638 in Cento versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cento but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cento 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.