Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cortona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cortona: $1,433 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
Learn more

Cortona Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cortona

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,433 in Cortona, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Cortona $1,433

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,197 in Cortona, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Cortona $2,197

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,961 in Cortona, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Cortona $2,961

Lisbon costs about 54% more than Cortona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Cortona sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Cortona by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.79 €15.04

-0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$67.6 €60.6

-8.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.12 €1.90

40.09%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.84 €2.55

-19.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.48 €1.33

17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.47 €4.90

-37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.78 €6.08

-51.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.73 €1.55

-32.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.20 €1.97

-13.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.97 €2.66

-49.16%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.74 €4.25

-15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$14.81 €13.27

-12.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$12.15 €10.89

-36.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$19.44 €17.42

-8.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.55 €2.28

-9.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.29 €2.06

-24.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.36 €2.12

-21.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.39 €2.15

8.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.41 €1.27

29.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.61 €1.44

22.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.38 €1.23

6.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.55 €0.50

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.94 €6.22

-5.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.69 €5.10

-1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.59 €1.43

-14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.53 €2.27

-15.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$6.61 €5.93

-41.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.63 €1.46

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$33.47 €29.99

-50.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.16 €1.94

1.85%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.4K €31.7K

-3.42%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$36.3K €32.5K

6.81%

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

$161 €144

$202 €181

-20.37%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$11.25 €10.08

63.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$32.35 €28.99

1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$28.04 €25.13

58.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$11.04 €9.89

73.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.25 €10.08

-14.67%

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

$668 €598

$478 €428

39.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$16.7K €15.0K

5.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$72.0 €64.5

41.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$36.82 €32.99

20.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$85.7 €76.8

14.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$126 €113

-2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$864 €774

86.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$400 €358

197.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,493 €1,338

88.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$621 €556

224.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,315 €2,074

238.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,804 €2,513

63.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,067 €2,749

-48.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.52

9.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cortona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cortona

$400 27.9% 66.4% $790

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cortona

$326 22.7% 19.5% $53

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cortona

$252 17.6% 3.9% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cortona

$246 17.2% 15.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cortona

$144 10.1% 13% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cortona

$51 3.5% 20.7% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cortona

$15 * 1% 76.6% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $864 in Cortona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 95% higher in Cortona, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $68 in Cortona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $326 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Cortona

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

22,450

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Cortona 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cortona

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 Cortona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,433 in Cortona – Cortona comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,150 in Cortona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cortona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $864 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,433 in Cortona. That makes Cortona about 35% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $478 in Cortona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cortona, where all-in costs run around $1,433, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Cortona it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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