Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and El Medano

Name: El Medano
Address: El Medano, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,446 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
70

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
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El Medano Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $1,446 in El Medano, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
El Medano $1,446

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $2,385 in El Medano, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
El Medano $2,385

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $3,324 in El Medano, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
El Medano $3,324

Lisbon costs about 52% more than El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and El Medano sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, El Medano by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$20.11 €17.89

-15.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$61.2 €54.4

1.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.07 €9.85

-0.45%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.99 €1.77

56.78%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.90 €1.69

19.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.29 €1.15

34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.81 €2.50

21.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.30 €2.94

13.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.33 €1.19

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.45 €2.18

-24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.53 €1.36

0.65%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.07 €3.62

-0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$14.56 €12.96

-11.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.86 €7.88

-10.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$17.58 €15.63

0.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.48 €2.21

-8.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.36 €2.10

-25.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.27 €2.02

-16.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.53 €2.25

1.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.09 €1.86

-11.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.93 €1.72

2.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.68 €1.50

-13.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.97 €0.86

-20.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.49 €4.88

22.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.64 €6.80

-25.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.71 €1.52

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.33 €1.18

58.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.67 €1.49

38.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$24.80 €22.06

79.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.25 €3.78

-7.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.72 €1.53

-38.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$17.01 €15.13

0.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.26 €1.12

73.81%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$26.7K €23.7K

26.72%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$31.3K €27.8K

22.26%

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

$164 €146

$98.8 €87.9

65.87%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$22.80 €20.28

-18.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$35.05 €31.18

-5.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$45.45 €40.43

0.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$14.44 €12.85

29.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.67 €8.60

0.83%

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

$684 €608

$406 €361

68.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,136 €4,568

243.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$91.3 €81.2

13.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$41.48 €36.89

11.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$92.6 €82.3

7.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$113 €101

10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$884 €786

79.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$473 €420

147.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,341 €1,193

112.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,025 €912

94.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,400 €3,024

129.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,990 €1,770

122.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.56

8.15%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

El Medano

$473 32.7% 59.6% $696

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

El Medano

$304 21% 11.4% $31

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

El Medano

$251 17.4% 1.6% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

El Medano

$157 10.8% 27.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

El Medano

$152 10.5% 9.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

El Medano

$65 4.5% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

El Medano

$44 3.1% 29.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $884 in El Medano. 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 $62.0 in Lisbon versus $61.0 in El Medano. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Lisbon vs $304 in El Medano – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon El Medano 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
El Medano

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 Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon, $1,446 in El Medano – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $2,170 in El Medano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $684 per month in Lisbon and $406 in El Medano. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Medano, where all-in costs run around $1,446, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In El Medano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,446 in El Medano to $2,202 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 El Medano. 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.