Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ilopango

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilopango: $1,619 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ilopango

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,619 in Ilopango.

Lisbon $2,202
Ilopango $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,863 in Ilopango.

Lisbon $3,274
Ilopango $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,107 in Ilopango.

Lisbon $4,346
Ilopango $2,107

Living in Lisbon is roughly 36% more expensive than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ilopango 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.18

$3.23 $3.23

427.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.5

$44.80 $44.80

39.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.82

$4.97 $4.97

121.73%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.96 $2.96

5.41%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.87 $0.87

160.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.99 $0.99

75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.05

$0.92 $0.92

271.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.75 $1.75

113.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$3.20 $3.20

-63.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.49 $1.49

24.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$3.06 $3.06

-49.67%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.62

$2.95 $2.95

37.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.51

$4.96 $4.96

160.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$5.91 $5.91

33.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.73

$10.20 $10.20

72.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.98 $2.98

-24.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.95 $1.95

-10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.95 $1.95

-3.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.04 $2.04

25.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.02 $2.02

-8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.04 $2.04

-3.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.93 $0.93

55.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.03 $1.03

-25.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.98

$3.91 $3.91

71.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$11.84 $11.84

-52.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.98 $0.98

39.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.05 $2.05

2.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.88 $0.88

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.60

$35.26 $35.26

26.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$6.86 $6.86

-42.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$2.22 $2.22

-52.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.29

$4.66 $4.66

268.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.68 $0.68

222.06%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$19.8K $19.8K

70.36%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$25.3K $25.3K

51.04%

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

$164 €146

$35.69 $35.69

358.98%

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

$18.48 €16.47

$9.91 $9.91

86.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.38

$40.70 $40.70

-19.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.88

$40.29 $40.29

13.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.65

$10.07 $10.07

85.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.69

$5.14 $5.14

89.69%

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

$684 €610

$103 $103

561.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$1,882 $1,882

836.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.5

$20.18 $20.18

414.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.18

$30.10 $30.10

53.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.9

$74.3 $74.3

34.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$59.0 $59.0

111.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,417

$672 $672

136.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,042

$1,002 $1,002

16.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,541

$592 $592

381.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,776

$619 $619

221.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,946

$1,689 $1,689

361.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,938

$953 $953

363.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,426

$1,010 $1,010

58.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-35.83%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ilopango: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Ilopango

$1K 61.9% 14.3% $167

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Ilopango

$249 15.4% 8.6% $24

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Ilopango

$92 5.7% 62.9% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Ilopango

$86 5.3% 59.9% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Ilopango

$83 5.1% 51% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Ilopango

$51 3.1% 22.6% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ilopango

$57 3.5% 9.9% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $672 in Ilopango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $45 in Ilopango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $249 per month, with Ilopango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

38,890

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Ilopango 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilopango is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 58% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $672 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $103 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Ilopango gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Ilopango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.