Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Elmina

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $668 in Elmina, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Elmina $668

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,125 in Elmina, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Elmina $1,125

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,582 in Elmina, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Elmina $1,582

Lisbon costs about 233% more than Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Elmina is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$7.82 GHS 91.0

111.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$50.8 GHS 591

20.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.26 GHS 119

9.84%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.46 GHS 51.9

-31.39%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.53 GHS 17.85

47.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.44 GHS 5.12

293.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.81 GHS 21.03

87.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.17 GHS 25.19

56.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.67 GHS 42.68

-69.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.67 GHS 19.37

11.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.06 GHS 35.63

-50.00%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.68 GHS 31.21

47.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.03 GHS 140

6.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.08 GHS 82.3

11.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.62 GHS 112

76.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.61 GHS 41.93

-37.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.40 GHS 16.32

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.77 GHS 20.58

4.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.56 GHS 41.44

-27.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.69 GHS 31.29

-30.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.65 GHS 30.82

-23.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.72 GHS 8.34

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.60 GHS 7.02

36.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$2.51 GHS 29.19

161.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.06 GHS 82.1

-20.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.21 GHS 14.10

5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.33 GHS 27.14

-11.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.74 GHS 20.29

129.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.26 GHS 14.65

-13.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$4.30 GHS 50.0

286.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.34 GHS 15.58

70.15%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

325.55%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

306.68%

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

$167 €149

$73.7 GHS 857

127.26%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$19.07 GHS 222

-1.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$42.25 GHS 491

-21.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$12.66 GHS 147

-22.27%

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

$677 €602

$470 GHS 5,464

44.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

-9.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$14.18 GHS 165

613.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$18.59 GHS 216

146.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$36.74 GHS 427

172.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$52.0 GHS 605

136.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

26.75

-85.61%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Elmina

$276 41.4% 2.6% $7

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Elmina

$168 25.2% 30.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Elmina

$135 20.2% 38.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Elmina

$55 8.2% 67.1% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Elmina

$25 * 3.8% 61.5% $40

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Elmina

$8 * 1.2% 87.2% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $51.0 in Elmina. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Lisbon vs $276 in Elmina – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

11:47 11:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

1 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

34,403

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Elmina 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 233%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,001 in Elmina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $51.0 in Elmina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Elmina. 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.