Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cuenca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuenca: $989 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cuenca

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $989 in Cuenca, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Cuenca $989

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,482 in Cuenca, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Cuenca $1,482

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,976 in Cuenca, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Cuenca $1,976

Lisbon costs about 125% more than Cuenca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Cuenca is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.59 $3.59

359.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$29.50 $29.50

107.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.79 $7.79

44.67%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.65 $2.65

15.47%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.83 $0.83

172.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.71 $0.71

143.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.04 $2.04

66.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.18 $3.18

6.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.01 $1.01

10.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.17 $2.17

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.87 $1.87

-18.18%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.27 $2.27

74.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.09 $7.09

79.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$5.90 $5.90

33.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$7.47 $7.47

127.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.03 $2.03

11.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.09 $1.09

60.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.36 $1.36

36.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.40 $1.40

83.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.54 $1.54

20.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.08 $1.08

87.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.75 $0.75

92.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.13 $1.13

-27.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.29 $5.29

24.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.07 $10.07

-44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.51 $1.51

-15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.99 $2.99

-30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.36 $0.36

552.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$15.94 $15.94

177.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.36 $1.36

193.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.07 $1.07

1.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$10.83 $10.83

53.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.87 $0.87

162.07%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$24.5K $24.5K

37.41%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$29.6K $29.6K

32.56%

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

$167 €149

$39.83 $39.83

320.51%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$13.33 $13.33

41.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$26.61 $26.61

24.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$30.02 $30.02

53.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$5.18 $5.18

270.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$7.22 $7.22

36.29%

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

$677 €602

$227 $227

198.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$6,764 $6,764

150.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$67.8 $67.8

49.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$46.84 $46.84

-2.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$125 $125

-20.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$71.5 $71.5

71.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$529 $529

205.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$386 $386

209.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$709 $709

303.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$608 $608

227.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,221 $1,221

520.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$857 $857

402.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$561 $561

183.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.16

-65.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cuenca: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Cuenca

$386 39.1% 67.7% $811

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Cuenca

$208 21% 22.9% $62

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Cuenca

$107 10.8% 55.9% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Cuenca

$80 8.1% 63.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cuenca

$140 14.2% 15.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Cuenca

$44 4.5% 32.3% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Cuenca

$24 2.4% 61.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $529 in Cuenca. 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 183% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $30.00 in Cuenca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $208 – making Cuenca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

12:12 12:12 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

495,776

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Cuenca 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Cuenca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 125%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,483 in Cuenca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuenca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $30.00 in Cuenca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,223 in Lisbon and $989 in Cuenca. That's a gap of about 125%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuenca, where all-in costs run around $989, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Cuenca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cuenca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.