Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and El Paso

For one person, living is cheaper in El Paso: $1,648 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
79

Cost of Living Index in El Paso
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El Paso Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

El Paso

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,648 in El Paso.

Lisbon $2,202
El Paso $1,648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,456 in El Paso.

Lisbon $3,274
El Paso $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,265 in El Paso.

Lisbon $4,346
El Paso $3,265

Living in Lisbon is roughly 34% more expensive than in El Paso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, El Paso 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$16.45 €14.63

3.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$54.9 €48.85

13.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.55 €8.49

15.39%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.34 €2.08

33.33%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.64 €2.35

-14.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.94 €1.73

-10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.87 €2.55

19.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.46 €3.96

-16.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.16 €1.03

0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.52 €1.35

22.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.57 €1.40

-1.91%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.25 €2.89

24.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.30 €11.83

-2.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.13 €6.34

10.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.80 €13.16

19.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.47 €2.20

-8.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.12 €1.88

-17.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.19 €1.95

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.50 €2.22

2.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.86 €1.65

-0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.96 €1.74

0.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.31 €1.17

10.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.69 €0.61

11.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$7.18 €6.38

-6.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.19 €5.51

-8.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.22 €1.08

12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.98 €1.76

6.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.65 €1.47

40.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$32.06 €28.52

38.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.90 €3.47

1.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.55 €1.38

-32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$24.38 €21.69

-29.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.76 €1.56

24.43%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$39.3K €34.9K

-13.95%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$34.7K €30.8K

10.34%

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

$164 €146

$161 €144

1.52%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$17.82 €15.85

3.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$25.99 €23.12

26.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$39.66 €35.28

15.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$17.18 €15.28

8.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.25 €8.23

5.41%

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

$684 €608

$441 €392

55.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$8,218 €7,310

114.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$87.9 €78.2

17.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$37.81 €33.63

22.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$97.1 €86.3

2.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$128 €114

-2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$888 €790

78.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$689 €613

69.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,246 €1,109

128.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,098 €977

81.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,160 €2,811

146.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,333 €2,075

89.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.3

16.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Paso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

El Paso

$689 41.8% 41.1% $480

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

El Paso

$258 15.6% 5.6% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

El Paso

$230 14% 7.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

El Paso

$205 12.5% 4.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

El Paso

$158 9.6% 6.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

El Paso

$58 3.5% 11% $7.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

El Paso

$50 3.1% 20% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $888 in El Paso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $55.0 in El Paso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $258 per month, with El Paso cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 El Paso

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon El Paso 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
El Paso

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 Paso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and El Paso differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,648 including rent). El Paso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $2,472 in El Paso 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 $888 in El Paso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Paso – a meal for two runs $55.0 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 $1,648 in El Paso – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,648 in El Paso versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in El Paso but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes El Paso 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and El Paso 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 Paso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.