Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Isabela

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,258 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Isabela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,258 in Isabela.

Lisbon $2,206
Isabela $1,258

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,974 in Isabela.

Lisbon $3,276
Isabela $1,974

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,690 in Isabela.

Lisbon $4,346
Isabela $2,690

Living in Lisbon is roughly 75% more expensive than in Isabela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Isabela is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$19.01 $19.01

-11.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$81.5 $81.5

-25.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$8.95 $8.95

22.68%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$3.62 $3.62

-15.75%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.91 $1.91

19.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.51 $1.51

11.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$3.02 $3.02

13.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$5.09 $5.09

-23.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.97 $1.97

-41.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.81 $2.81

-32.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.21 $1.21

23.97%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.95 $2.95

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$10.82 $10.82

20.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$6.46 $6.46

24.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$13.50 $13.50

32.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.37 $4.37

-48.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.62 $2.62

-33.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$4.89 $4.89

-62.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.71 $4.71

-42.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$3.85 $3.85

-54.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$4.07 $4.07

-52.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.52 $3.52

-58.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.64 $1.64

-53.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$11.76 $11.76

-43.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$15.43 $15.43

-63.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.99 $2.99

-56.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$3.96 $3.96

-45.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.46 $2.46

61.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.54 $1.54

-58.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$41.55 $41.55

-54.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$0.88 $0.88

159.09%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$34.8K $34.8K

-4.03%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$28.1K $28.1K

37.09%

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

$158 €141

$315 $315

-49.75%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$68.8 $68.8

-74.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$70.2 $70.2

-55.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$10.38 $10.38

-7.71%

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

$674 €598

$837 $837

-19.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$12.7K $12.7K

47.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$56.7 $56.7

80.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$61.7 $61.7

-25.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$110 $110

-6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$115 $115

6.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.55

-41.68%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Isabela: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Isabela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Isabela

$358 28.4% 30.3% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Isabela

$261 20.8% 6.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Isabela

$454 36.1% 119% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Isabela

$154 12.3% 7.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Isabela

$21 * 1.7% 67.5% $43

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Isabela

$10 * 0.8% 83.1% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $81 in Isabela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $358 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇷 Isabela

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

45,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Isabela 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Isabela

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 Isabela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Isabela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,887 in Isabela 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.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $837 in Isabela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61 versus $81 in Isabela. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Isabela is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Isabela are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.