Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cosenza

For one person, living is cheaper in Cosenza: $1,413 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cosenza
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Cosenza Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cosenza

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cosenza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,413 in Cosenza.

Lisbon $2,210
Cosenza $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,170 in Cosenza.

Lisbon $3,275
Cosenza $2,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,928 in Cosenza.

Lisbon $4,341
Cosenza $2,928

Living in Lisbon is roughly 56% more expensive than in Cosenza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Cosenza 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$17.02 €15.29

-2.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$55.4 €49.74

11.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.01 €9.89

3.18%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.76 €1.58

68.75%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.47 €2.22

-7.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.15 €1.03

51.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.66 €5.09

-39.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.34 €3.90

-23.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.12 €1.01

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.86 €1.67

2.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.55 €2.29

-40.78%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.33 €2.99

20.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.59 €11.31

2.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$11.02 €9.90

-29.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$15.50 €13.93

14.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.49 €2.23

-7.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.04 €1.84

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.24 €2.01

-16.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.25 €2.92

-20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.32 €1.19

37.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.79 €1.60

10.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.43 €1.29

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.44 €0.40

63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$6.64 €5.96

-0.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.34 €5.70

-11.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.84 €1.65

-26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.99 €2.69

-28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.30 €1.17

79.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$30.81 €27.68

45.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.58 €4.11

-15.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.22 €1.10

-12.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$22.65 €20.35

-27.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.00 €1.80

10.00%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$30.3K €27.2K

12.74%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$30.3K €27.2K

27.93%

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

$161 €145

$201 €181

-19.93%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$9.08 €8.16

102.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$31.07 €27.91

5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$45.72 €41.08

-2.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$16.65 €14.96

14.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.19 €7.36

17.22%

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

$668 €600

$285 €256

133.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,777 €2,495

534.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$84.1 €75.6

21.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$40.22 €36.14

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$102 €91.9

-3.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$115 €104

7.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$500 €449

221.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$378 €340

214.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$931 €837

201.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$653 €586

208.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$1,752 €1,574

347.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$1,301 €1,169

251.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,506 €1,353

4.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.08

25.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cosenza: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cosenza

$378 26.8% 68.2% $812

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cosenza

$289 20.5% 6.1% $17

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cosenza

$242 17.1% 0.4% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cosenza

$242 17.1% 13.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cosenza

$154 10.9% 7.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cosenza

$62 4.4% 2.6% $1.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cosenza

$47 3.3% 26.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $500 in Cosenza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 5% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $55 in Cosenza. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $289, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Cosenza

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

02:18 2:18 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

63,693

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Cosenza 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Cosenza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Cosenza differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,413 including rent). Cosenza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $500 in Cosenza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $285 in Cosenza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,413 in Cosenza versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cosenza but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cosenza 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 Cosenza are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Cosenza wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.