Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ciudad Real

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Real: $1,453 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Real
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Ciudad Real Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Ciudad Real

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ciudad Real

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,453 in Ciudad Real.

Lisbon $2,206
Ciudad Real $1,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,921 in Ciudad Real.

Lisbon $3,276
Ciudad Real $1,921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,389 in Ciudad Real.

Lisbon $4,346
Ciudad Real $2,389

Living in Lisbon is roughly 52% more expensive than in Ciudad Real, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Ciudad Real 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$13.32 €11.86

26.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$49.49 €44.08

23.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$11.22 €9.99

-2.14%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$2.47 €2.20

23.48%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.66 €2.37

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.02 €1.80

-16.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.41 €3.04

0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$4.47 €3.98

-12.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.23 €1.10

-6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.69 €0.61

173.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.36 €1.21

10.29%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$2.67 €2.38

54.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$8.79 €7.83

48.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$5.65 €5.04

42.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$9.92 €8.84

80.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.22 €1.97

2.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.93 €1.72

-9.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.66 €1.48

9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.02 €1.80

33.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.26 €1.12

40.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.13 €1.01

71.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.14 €1.01

28.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.57 €0.51

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$6.05 €5.39

10.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$4.93 €4.39

14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.19 €1.06

8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.37 €2.11

-9.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.19 €1.06

93.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

$11.33 €10.10

288.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$2.16 €1.93

84.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.14 €1.02

-43.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

$20.53 €18.29

-7.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.69 €1.51

34.91%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

-1.06%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$31.6K €28.1K

22.01%

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

$158 €141

$162 €144

-2.42%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$10.89 €9.70

61.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$24.93 €22.21

25.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$39.12 €34.84

14.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$8.58 €7.64

11.66%

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

$674 €600

$873 €778

-22.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$2,850 €2,539

557.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$87.6 €78.1

16.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$38.88 €34.64

18.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$84.6 €75.3

20.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$106 €94.5

14.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$721 €643

127.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$620 €552

91.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$672 €599

320.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$559 €498

260.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

$878 €782

435.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

$1,440 €1,283

17.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.3

15.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Real: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ciudad Real

$620 42.7% 47.8% $567

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Ciudad Real

$197 13.6% 28.2% $77

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Ciudad Real

$215 14.8% 12.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Ciudad Real

$198 13.6% 4.3% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Ciudad Real

$143 9.8% 14.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ciudad Real

$56 3.9% 11.8% $7.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Ciudad Real

$24 1.7% 60.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $721 in Ciudad Real. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 17% 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 in Lisbon vs $49 in Ciudad Real for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $197 per month, with Ciudad Real cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Ciudad Real

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

75,303

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Lisbon vs Ciudad Real: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,453 in Ciudad Real, so Ciudad Real is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $721 in Ciudad Real. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Real – a meal for two runs $49 versus $61 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,453 in Ciudad Real versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Real but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Real 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 Ciudad Real are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ciudad Real gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.