Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Desamparados

For one person, living is cheaper in Desamparados: $1,697 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,697

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Desamparados

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,697 in Desamparados, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Desamparados $1,697

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,731 in Desamparados, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Desamparados $2,731

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $3,765 in Desamparados, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Desamparados $3,765

Lisbon costs about 30% more than Desamparados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Desamparados sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Desamparados by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.16 ₡5,489

36.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$53.7 ₡24.3K

14.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.05 ₡4,990

2.81%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.79 ₡1,710

-21.64%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.79 ₡1,259

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.70 ₡768

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.81 ₡1,269

21.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.92 ₡1,771

-15.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.22 ₡1,003

-47.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.81 ₡1,270

-32.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.44 ₡1,101

-38.11%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.60 ₡1,624

11.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.27 ₡4,636

26.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.98 ₡4,505

-22.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$13.22 ₡5,969

34.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.05 ₡2,280

-54.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.56 ₡703

10.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.52 ₡1,590

-47.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.09 ₡1,395

-16.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.82 ₡1,274

-35.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.89 ₡1,304

-31.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.13 ₡508

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.64 ₡1,190

-72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.78 ₡2,611

13.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$18.33 ₡8,273

-69.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.56 ₡1,156

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.99 ₡1,352

-28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.29 ₡583

80.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.18 ₡986

76.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.82 ₡822

-41.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$8.93 ₡4,033

84.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.52 ₡686

44.74%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.6K ₡15.2M

1.70%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$36.6K ₡16.5M

5.94%

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

$161 €144

$83.8 ₡37.8K

92.36%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$26.77 ₡12.1K

-31.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$66.8 ₡30.2K

-51.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$63.1 ₡28.5K

-29.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.25 ₡3,273

32.41%

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

$668 €598

$846 ₡382.0K

-21.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.2K ₡7.8M

2.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$76.4 ₡34.5K

33.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$58.1 ₡26.2K

-23.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$121 ₡54.6K

-18.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$141 ₡63.5K

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$824 ₡372.0K

95.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$667 ₡301.1K

78.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,711 ₡772.6K

64.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,449 ₡654.1K

38.95%

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

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 Desamparados: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Desamparados

$667 39.3% 43.9% $523

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Desamparados

$365 21.5% 34% $93

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Desamparados

$216 12.7% 11.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Desamparados

$177 10.5% 16.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Desamparados

$178 10.5% 7.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Desamparados

$78 4.6% 21.8% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Desamparados

$16 * 1% 74% $47

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 $824 in Desamparados. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $54 in Desamparados. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $365 in Desamparados – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

38,000

💱 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Desamparados 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Desamparados

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 Desamparados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,697 in Desamparados – Desamparados comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,546 in Desamparados. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Desamparados, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $824 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $54 in Desamparados. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,697 in Desamparados, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,697 in Desamparados to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.