Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Esmeraldas

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $789 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Esmeraldas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $789 in Esmeraldas.

Lisbon $2,223
Esmeraldas $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,359 in Esmeraldas.

Lisbon $3,271
Esmeraldas $1,359

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,929 in Esmeraldas.

Lisbon $4,319
Esmeraldas $1,929

Living in Lisbon is roughly 182% more expensive than in Esmeraldas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Esmeraldas is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.05 $3.05

440.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$53.6 $53.6

14.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$3.96 $3.96

184.60%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.30 $3.30

-7.27%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.52 $0.52

334.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.49 $0.49

253.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.53 $3.53

-3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.87 $5.87

-42.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.02 $1.02

9.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.55 $1.55

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.51 $1.51

1.32%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.18 $2.18

81.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$6.38 $6.38

100.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$5.75 $5.75

37.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$7.94 $7.94

113.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.28 $2.28

-0.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.19 $1.19

47.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.32 $1.32

40.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.08 $1.08

137.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.25 $1.25

48.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.02 $1.02

98.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.48 $0.48

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.06 $1.06

-22.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.85 $5.85

12.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$9.89 $9.89

-43.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.53 $1.53

-16.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.20 $3.20

-35.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.35 $0.35

571.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$15.82 $15.82

179.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.54 $1.54

159.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.22 $1.22

-10.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$9.81 $9.81

69.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.87 $0.87

162.07%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.1K $21.1K

59.85%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$28.2K $28.2K

39.56%

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

$167 €149

$28.51 $28.51

487.48%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$17.81 $17.81

5.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$28.81 $28.81

14.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$30.46 $30.46

51.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$16.98 $16.98

13.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.53 $6.53

50.69%

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

$677 €602

$228 $228

197.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$9,109 $9,109

85.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$69.9 $69.9

44.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$49.87 $49.87

-8.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$117 $117

-14.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$107 $107

15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$297 $297

442.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$186 $186

545.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$622 $622

360.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$416 $416

378.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,353 $1,353

459.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$706 $706

510.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$451 $451

252.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.12

-61.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Esmeraldas

$186 23.5% 84.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Esmeraldas

$196 24.8% 27.4% $74

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Esmeraldas

$109 13.9% 54.9% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Esmeraldas

$75 9.5% 65.8% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Esmeraldas

$154 19.6% 7.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Esmeraldas

$44 5.5% 33.7% $22

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Esmeraldas

$25 3.2% 60.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $297 in Esmeraldas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 252% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $54.0 in Esmeraldas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $196 per month, with Esmeraldas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

21:27 9:27 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

95,216

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Esmeraldas 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Esmeraldas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 182% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 252% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $297 in Esmeraldas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Esmeraldas – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $789 in Esmeraldas versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 182% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.