Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,445 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Jaco Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,445 in Jaco Beach.

Lisbon $2,210
Jaco Beach $1,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,296 in Jaco Beach.

Lisbon $3,275
Jaco Beach $2,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,147 in Jaco Beach.

Lisbon $4,341
Jaco Beach $3,147

Living in Lisbon is roughly 53% more expensive than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Jaco Beach 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$11.32 ₡5,106

47.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$43.14 ₡19.5K

43.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$10.22 ₡4,612

11.15%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.99 ₡1,799

-25.56%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.40 ₡1,085

-4.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.87 ₡844

-6.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.19 ₡1,441

6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.33 ₡1,954

-23.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.98 ₡892

-41.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.19 ₡989

-12.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.39 ₡1,078

-36.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.60 ₡1,175

54.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.78 ₡4,865

20.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$8.88 ₡4,008

-12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$12.11 ₡5,466

46.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.95 ₡2,233

-53.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.66 ₡748

4.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.75 ₡2,141

-60.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.42 ₡1,544

-24.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.50 ₡676

21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.42 ₡641

38.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.99 ₡447

48.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.99 ₡900

-63.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.01 ₡2,711

9.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$13.81 ₡6,231

-59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.64 ₡1,192

-48.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.18 ₡985

-1.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.49 ₡1,125

54.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.63 ₡735

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$8.53 ₡3,848

92.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.57 ₡707

40.13%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

0.89%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$42.6K ₡19.2M

-9.14%

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

$161 €145

$79.6 ₡35.9K

102.66%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$23.88 ₡10.8K

-22.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$47.69 ₡21.5K

-31.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$52.0 ₡23.4K

-14.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.72 ₡3,483

24.35%

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

$668 €600

$479 ₡216.3K

39.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,442 ₡3.4M

136.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$25.50 ₡11.5K

300.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$56.2 ₡25.4K

-20.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$127 ₡57.3K

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$133 ₡59.8K

-6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$748 ₡337.6K

114.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$526 ₡237.2K

126.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,984 ₡895.4K

41.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,099 ₡495.8K

83.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$402 ₡181.3K

292.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4% 55.8% $664

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6% 19.7% $54

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6% 13.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5% 28.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 7.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7% 5.7% $3.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7% 83.2% $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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $43 in Jaco Beach. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $326, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Jaco Beach 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Jaco Beach

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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.9 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $479 in Jaco Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Jaco Beach 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 Jaco Beach are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Jaco Beach wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.