Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Colonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Colonia: $1,511 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Colonia
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Colonia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Colonia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Colonia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,511 in Colonia.

Lisbon $2,223
Colonia $1,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,462 in Colonia.

Lisbon $3,271
Colonia $2,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,413 in Colonia.

Lisbon $4,319
Colonia $3,413

Living in Lisbon is roughly 47% more expensive than in Colonia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Colonia 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$15.94 UYU 640

3.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$75.1 UYU 3,015

-18.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$12.92 UYU 519

-12.77%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.83 UYU 234

-47.51%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.85 UYU 74.4

22.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.40 UYU 56.2

23.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.88 UYU 196

-30.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.74 UYU 190

-28.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.15 UYU 46.11

-2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.11 UYU 84.7

-11.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.21 UYU 48.39

26.45%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.51 UYU 141

12.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$9.96 UYU 400

28.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$12.34 UYU 495

-35.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$11.03 UYU 443

53.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.17 UYU 87.3

4.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.89 UYU 76.0

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.27 UYU 51.1

45.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$5.58 UYU 224

-53.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.04 UYU 81.8

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.98 UYU 79.3

2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.23 UYU 49.17

17.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.25 UYU 50.2

-34.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$7.65 UYU 307

-14.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.60 UYU 506

-55.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$4.44 UYU 178

-71.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.52 UYU 101

-17.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.95 UYU 38.29

147.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.86 UYU 34.47

363.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.53 UYU 101

-56.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.98 UYU 79.4

15.15%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.0K UYU 1.3M

5.09%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$39.2K UYU 1.6M

0.25%

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

$167 €149

$123 UYU 4,923

36.55%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$18.70 UYU 750

0.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$38.73 UYU 1,555

-14.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$41.35 UYU 1,660

11.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$12.52 UYU 503

53.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$7.80 UYU 313

26.15%

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$56.7 UYU 2,274

78.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$50.5 UYU 2,027

-9.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$112 UYU 4,503

-10.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$201 UYU 8,079

-39.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$597 UYU 24.0K

170.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$470 UYU 18.9K

154.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,126 UYU 45.2K

154.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$977 UYU 39.2K

103.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.5

-14.44%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Colonia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Colonia

$470 31.1% 60.7% $727

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Colonia

$314 20.8% 16.5% $44

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Colonia

$283 18.7% 16.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Colonia

$180 11.9% 17.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Colonia

$189 12.5% 13.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Colonia

$57 3.8% 13.3% $8.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Colonia

$17 * 1.2% 72.5% $46

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $597 in Colonia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $75.0 in Colonia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $314 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇾 Colonia

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

19:51 7:51 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

26,231

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Colonia 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Colonia

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 Colonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colonia wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colonia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $2,266 in Colonia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $597 in Colonia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,511 in Colonia – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,511 in Colonia versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colonia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Colonia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colonia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,511 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colonia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Colonia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Colonia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.