Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $690 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cusco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $690 in Cusco.

Lisbon $2,210
Cusco $690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,105 in Cusco.

Lisbon $3,275
Cusco $1,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,519 in Cusco.

Lisbon $4,341
Cusco $1,519

Living in Lisbon is roughly 220% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Cusco is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$2.01 PEN 6.95

728.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$20.14 PEN 69.5

206.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$6.38 PEN 22.01

78.06%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.17 PEN 7.48

36.87%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.74 PEN 2.54

209.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.33 PEN 1.12

427.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.79 PEN 6.18

89.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.29 PEN 14.81

-22.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.29 PEN 4.46

-10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.33 PEN 8.03

-18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.28 PEN 4.40

17.97%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.51 PEN 12.11

14.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$4.91 PEN 16.94

163.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.39 PEN 15.14

76.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$7.41 PEN 25.58

139.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.67 PEN 9.23

-13.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.77 PEN 2.66

124.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.47 PEN 5.07

26.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.91 PEN 3.13

184.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.00 PEN 3.44

82.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.06 PEN 3.66

85.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.53 PEN 1.83

177.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.74 PEN 2.56

-2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.68 PEN 19.59

-1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.86 PEN 6.44

-26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.17 PEN 14.39

-48.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.28 PEN 0.95

732.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.76 PEN 6.06

118.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.92 PEN 6.62

-44.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$2.88 PEN 9.93

471.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.56 PEN 5.38

41.03%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.5K PEN 98.2K

36.09%

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

$161 €144

$29.26 PEN 101

450.99%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$14.44 PEN 49.85

27.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$43.40 PEN 150

-24.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$29.55 PEN 102

50.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$4.43 PEN 15.30

116.70%

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

$668 €598

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$37.57 PEN 130

171.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$33.55 PEN 116

32.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$53.9 PEN 186

82.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$73.3 PEN 253

68.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$218 PEN 754

636.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$192 PEN 664

518.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$535 PEN 1,846

425.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$426 PEN 1,469

372.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,237 PEN 11.2K

142.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,882 PEN 6,496

143.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$430 PEN 1,484

266.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cusco

$192 27.9% 83.8% $998

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cusco

$188 27.2% 31.1% $85

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cusco

$83 12% 65.8% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cusco

$87 12.6% 59% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 46.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cusco

$38 5.6% 39.7% $25

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 80.3% $51

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $20 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $188 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

428,450

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Cusco 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is about 69% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.7 times higher, 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 $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $690 in Cusco versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco 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.

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