Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and El Ejido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Ejido: $1,634 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
80

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
Learn more

El Ejido Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in El Ejido

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,634 in El Ejido.

Lisbon $2,202
El Ejido $1,634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,449 in El Ejido.

Lisbon $3,274
El Ejido $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,264 in El Ejido.

Lisbon $4,346
El Ejido $3,264

Living in Lisbon is roughly 35% more expensive than in El Ejido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, El Ejido 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$16.73 €14.88

1.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$67.6 €60.2

-7.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.10 €9.87

-0.72%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.17 €1.93

43.78%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.31 €2.06

-1.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.34 €1.19

29.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.29 €2.92

3.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.27 €2.91

14.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.13 €1.01

3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.57 €1.39

18.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.63 €1.45

-5.52%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.40 €3.02

19.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$16.79 €14.93

-23.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.56 €8.51

-17.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$17.46 €15.53

1.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.58 €2.30

-12.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.95 €1.73

-10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.95 €1.74

-3.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.69 €2.39

-4.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.93 €1.71

-4.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.92 €1.71

2.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.24 €1.11

16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.71 €0.63

8.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.66 €5.92

0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.77 €5.13

-1.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.21 €1.08

13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.12 €1.88

-0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.71 €1.52

35.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$36.17 €32.17

22.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.06 €2.73

29.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.31 €1.17

-19.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$16.86 €15.00

1.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.86 €1.65

17.74%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$31.3K €27.9K

7.88%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$31.3K €27.8K

22.22%

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

$164 €146

$142 €126

15.33%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$18.78 €16.71

-1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$29.88 €26.58

10.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.99 €37.35

9.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$16.57 €14.74

12.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.00 €8.01

8.33%

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

$684 €608

$689 €613

-0.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$9,454 €8,410

86.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$85.4 €76.0

21.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$35.45 €31.53

30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$93.2 €82.9

6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$106 €94.0

17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$902 €802

76.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$668 €594

75.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,326 €1,179

115.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$994 €884

100.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,015 €2,682

158.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,239 €1,992

97.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.99

28.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Ejido: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

El Ejido

$668 40.9% 42.9% $501

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

El Ejido

$288 17.7% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

El Ejido

$231 14.1% 6.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

El Ejido

$191 11.7% 11.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

El Ejido

$144 8.8% 14.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

El Ejido

$60 3.7% 8.2% $5.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

El Ejido

$53 3.2% 16.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $902 in El Ejido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $68.0 in El Ejido for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $288 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

89,975

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 El Ejido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Ejido is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $2,451 in El Ejido to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $902 in El Ejido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Ejido – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,634 in El Ejido – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,634 in El Ejido versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in El Ejido but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes El Ejido the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, El Ejido is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and El Ejido are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find El Ejido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.