Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Fajardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,251 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Fajardo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,251 in Fajardo.

Lisbon $2,223
Fajardo $1,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,962 in Fajardo.

Lisbon $3,271
Fajardo $1,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,674 in Fajardo.

Lisbon $4,319
Fajardo $2,674

Living in Lisbon is roughly 78% more expensive than in Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Fajardo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$9.97 $9.97

65.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$80.7 $80.7

-24.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.02

$9.09 $9.09

23.98%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.69 $3.69

-17.07%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.84 $1.84

22.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.45 $1.45

19.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.02 $3.02

12.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.13 $5.13

-33.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.14 $2.14

-47.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.72 $3.72

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.34 $2.34

-34.62%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$7.62 $7.62

-48.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.30 $12.30

3.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.37 $9.37

-15.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$13.16 $13.16

28.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.97 $4.97

-54.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.67 $2.67

-34.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.97 $4.97

-62.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.91 $4.91

-47.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.72 $3.72

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.87 $3.87

-47.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.36 $3.36

-57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.66 $1.66

-50.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$11.26 $11.26

-41.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$15.57 $15.57

-63.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.02 $3.02

-57.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$4.06 $4.06

-49.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.29

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.43 $2.43

64.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.46 $1.46

-25.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.80

$41.97 $41.97

-60.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.23 $1.23

85.37%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$40.3K $40.3K

-16.45%

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

$39.3K €34.9K

$27.5K $27.5K

42.95%

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

$167 €149

$325 $325

-48.40%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$70.1 $70.1

-73.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$69.4 $69.4

-52.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$10.38 $10.38

-5.20%

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

$677 €602

$809 $809

-16.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$12.4K $12.4K

36.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.0

$56.0 $56.0

80.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$61.1 $61.1

-25.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$109 $109

-7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$114 $114

7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,435

$982 $982

64.32%

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 €6,739

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

6.55

-41.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Fajardo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Fajardo

$414 33.1% 53.5% $144

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Fajardo

$190 15.2% 21.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Fajardo

$464 37.1% 112% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Fajardo

$153 12.2% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 68.4% $45

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Fajardo

$9.7 * 0.8% 84.6% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $982 in Fajardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $81.0 in Fajardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $414 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

15:27 3:27 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

11,647

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Fajardo 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Fajardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $1,876 in Fajardo 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $982 in Fajardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 54% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,251 in Fajardo – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,251 in Fajardo versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fajardo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Fajardo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fajardo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,251 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fajardo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Fajardo 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 Fajardo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.