Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and El Centro, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,700 in El Centro, CA, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in El Centro, CA
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El Centro, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

El Centro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in El Centro, CA

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 El Centro, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $2,700 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
El Centro, CA $2,700

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,848 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
El Centro, CA $3,848

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $4,996 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
El Centro, CA $4,996

Lisbon is about 18% cheaper than El Centro, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and El Centro, CA sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, El Centro, CA by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$13.62 $13.62

22.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$44.97 $44.97

37.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.39 $11.39

-0.26%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.89 $4.89

-39.26%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.54 $2.54

-9.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.96 $1.96

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.90 $4.90

-30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.95 $7.95

-58.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.16 $1.16

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$5.88 $5.88

-67.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.37 $4.37

-65.45%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.91 $4.91

-18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.67 $12.67

2.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$20.39 $20.39

-61.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$13.90 $13.90

27.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$5.50 $5.50

-58.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.70 $1.70

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.28 $4.28

-56.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$6.72 $6.72

-61.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.64 $3.64

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$3.47 $3.47

-43.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.28 $2.28

-35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.31 $2.31

-68.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$11.64 $11.64

-43.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.85 $14.85

-62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.70 $1.70

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.26 $3.26

-34.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.26 $2.26

3.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$58.6 $58.6

-23.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.46 $4.46

-13.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.88 $1.88

-43.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$35.36 $35.36

-53.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.53 $1.53

43.79%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$27.4K $27.4K

24.76%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.0K $26.0K

49.06%

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

$161 €145

$216 $216

-25.24%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$72.1 $72.1

-74.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$70.5 $70.5

-53.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$34.32 $34.32

29.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$11.90 $11.90

-19.33%

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

$668 €600

$1,895 $1,895

-64.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$42.8K $42.8K

-58.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$72.7 $72.7

40.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$40.38 $40.38

10.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$79.1 $79.1

24.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$173 $173

-28.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,401 $1,401

14.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,300 $1,300

-8.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,246 $2,246

25.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,076 $2,076

-3.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,709 $2,709

189.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,661 $2,661

71.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.64

-42.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for El Centro, CA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

El Centro, CA

$1.3K 48.2% 9.3% $110

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

El Centro, CA

$477 17.7% 75.2% $205

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

El Centro, CA

$260 9.6% 7.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

El Centro, CA

$358 13.3% 68.7% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

El Centro, CA

$164 6.1% 1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

El Centro, CA

$58 2.2% 8.8% $5.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

El Centro, CA

$81 3% 28.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,401 in El Centro, CA. 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 $45 in El Centro, CA. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $477 in El Centro, CA – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 El Centro, CA

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

7 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

44,322

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon El Centro, CA 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
El Centro, CA

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 El Centro, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $2,700 in El Centro, CA – Lisbon comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $4,049 in El Centro, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Centro, CA, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,401 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $1,895 in El Centro, CA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,700 in El Centro, CA, 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 $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,700 in El Centro, CA. 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.