Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Liberia

For one person, living is cheaper in Liberia: $1,604 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Liberia
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Liberia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Liberia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Liberia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,604 in Liberia.

Lisbon $2,210
Liberia $1,604

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,274 in Liberia.

Lisbon $3,275
Liberia $2,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,945 in Liberia.

Lisbon $4,341
Liberia $2,945

Living in Lisbon is roughly 38% more expensive than in Liberia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Liberia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$11.00 ₡4,967

51.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$37.74 ₡17.0K

63.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.80 ₡4,877

5.19%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.62 ₡1,632

-17.96%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.04 ₡921

12.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.61 ₡728

8.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.71 ₡1,222

25.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.50 ₡2,031

-26.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.41 ₡1,088

-51.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.11 ₡1,406

-38.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.40 ₡1,083

-37.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.54 ₡1,598

13.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.08 ₡3,647

60.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$8.16 ₡3,684

-4.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$12.51 ₡5,648

41.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.02 ₡2,266

-54.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.56 ₡702

10.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.51 ₡1,132

-25.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.21 ₡1,447

-19.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.76 ₡1,696

-51.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.50 ₡1,130

-21.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.09 ₡492

34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.26 ₡1,018

-68.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.14 ₡2,319

28.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$15.25 ₡6,886

-63.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.31 ₡1,041

-41.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.56 ₡1,605

-39.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.12 ₡508

108.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-18.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.47 ₡1,113

55.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.63 ₡738

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$8.83 ₡3,988

86.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.50 ₡678

46.67%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

1.90%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$41.8K ₡18.9M

-7.29%

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

$161 €144

$93.5 ₡42.2K

72.43%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$30.20 ₡13.6K

-39.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$41.07 ₡18.5K

-20.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$49.32 ₡22.3K

-9.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$34.59 ₡15.6K

-44.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.57 ₡3,420

26.82%

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

$668 €598

$966 ₡436.3K

-30.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

3.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$65.9 ₡29.7K

54.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$36.84 ₡16.6K

20.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$130 ₡58.5K

-24.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$90.0 ₡40.6K

37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$814 ₡367.5K

97.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$620 ₡280.0K

91.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$925 ₡417.7K

203.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$762 ₡344.1K

164.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$869 ₡392.2K

81.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Liberia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Liberia

$620 38.7% 47.9% $570

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Liberia

$339 21.1% 24.4% $67

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Liberia

$201 12.5% 17.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Liberia

$165 10.3% 22.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Liberia

$145 9% 12.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Liberia

$64 4% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Liberia

$70 4.3% 10.3% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $814 in Liberia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $38 in Liberia. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $339, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Liberia

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

46,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Liberia 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Liberia

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 Liberia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Liberia wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Liberia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 81% 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 $814 in Liberia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Liberia – a meal for two runs $38 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,604 in Liberia – Liberia is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,604 in Liberia versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Liberia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Liberia 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 Liberia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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