Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and the Galapagos Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Galapagos Islands: $884 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in the Galapagos Islands
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Galapagos Islands Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Galapagos Islands

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in the Galapagos Islands

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 the Galapagos Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $884 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Galapagos Islands $884

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,336 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Galapagos Islands $1,336

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,789 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Galapagos Islands $1,789

Lisbon costs about 150% more than the Galapagos Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Galapagos Islands is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$3.54 $3.54

370.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$27.52 $27.52

124.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.27 $7.27

56.26%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.50 $2.50

18.80%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.85 $0.85

169.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.66 $0.66

163.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.04 $2.04

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.54 $3.54

-6.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.09 $1.09

6.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.62 $1.62

17.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.57 $1.57

-3.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.17 $2.17

85.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$5.42 $5.42

138.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$5.55 $5.55

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$6.21 $6.21

185.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.02 $2.02

13.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.16 $1.16

49.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.08 $1.08

72.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.07 $1.07

142.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.45 $1.45

25.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.03 $1.03

91.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.51 $0.51

188.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.99 $0.99

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.86 $5.86

12.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.92 $9.92

-43.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.51 $1.51

-9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.53 $2.53

-15.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.37 $0.37

529.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$24.14 $24.14

85.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.48 $1.48

160.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.01 $1.01

5.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$9.92 $9.92

65.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.66 $0.66

233.33%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$25.3K $25.3K

35.20%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.4K $28.4K

36.41%

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

$161 €144

$39.48 $39.48

308.36%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$13.57 $13.57

35.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$31.19 $31.19

4.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$29.46 $29.46

51.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$14.80 $14.80

29.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.18 $7.18

33.70%

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

$668 €598

$253 $253

163.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,750 $5,750

206.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$55.7 $55.7

83.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$43.02 $43.02

3.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$98.0 $98.0

0.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$75.9 $75.9

63.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$340 $340

373.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$314 $314

279.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$633 $633

344.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$499 $499

303.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,218 $1,218

543.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$998 $998

358.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-61.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for the Galapagos Islands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Galapagos Islands

$314 35.5% 73.7% $877

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Galapagos Islands

$184 20.9% 32.3% $88

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Galapagos Islands

$103 11.7% 57.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Galapagos Islands

$84 9.5% 60.3% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Galapagos Islands

$123 13.9% 26.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Galapagos Islands

$44 5% 31.3% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Galapagos Islands

$32 3.6% 49.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $340 in the Galapagos Islands. 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 in Lisbon versus $28 in the Galapagos Islands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $184 – making Galapagos Islands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Galapagos Islands

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

22:26 10:26 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

32,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Galapagos Islands 9,370 km ≈ 12 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 Galapagos Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $884 in the Galapagos Islands – Galapagos Islands comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,326 in the Galapagos Islands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in the Galapagos Islands, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $28 in the Galapagos Islands. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in the Galapagos Islands, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Galapagos Islands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Galapagos Islands is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 60% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.