Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and La Serena

For one person, living is cheaper in La Serena: $1,093 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in La Serena

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,093 in La Serena, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
La Serena $1,093

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,806 in La Serena, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
La Serena $1,806

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,518 in La Serena, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
La Serena $2,518

Lisbon costs about 102% more than La Serena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while La Serena is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$7.54 CLP 7,489

120.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$47.87 CLP 47.5K

28.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.24 CLP 8,183

37.86%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.91 CLP 2,890

2.06%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.08 CLP 1,075

112.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.63 CLP 624

176.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.08 CLP 2,062

63.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.90 CLP 3,874

-15.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.16 CLP 1,150

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.38 CLP 2,361

-19.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.50 CLP 1,488

0.67%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.69 CLP 3,663

8.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.25 CLP 12.2K

5.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$5.63 CLP 5,596

38.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$12.68 CLP 12.6K

40.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.86 CLP 1,847

23.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.67 CLP 1,663

3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.25 CLP 1,238

48.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.42 CLP 1,414

82.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.16 CLP 1,149

56.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.18 CLP 1,168

66.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.00 CLP 996

47.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.89 CLP 886

-19.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.11 CLP 5,074

28.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.14 CLP 5,109

9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.97 CLP 968

40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.01 CLP 2,001

6.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.99 CLP 983

135.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$34.66 CLP 34.4K

28.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.70 CLP 693

450.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.00 CLP 1,982

-46.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$12.35 CLP 12.3K

33.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.38 CLP 1,368

59.42%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$19.2K CLP 19.1M

77.78%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$12.1K CLP 12.0M

221.19%

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

$161 €144

$84.7 CLP 84.2K

90.32%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$10.79 CLP 10.7K

70.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$20.76 CLP 20.6K

57.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$88.4 CLP 87.8K

-49.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$20.59 CLP 20.4K

-7.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.97 CLP 7,912

20.45%

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

$668 €598

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$42.44 CLP 42.2K

140.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$59.5 CLP 59.1K

-25.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$90.1 CLP 89.5K

9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$102 CLP 100.9K

21.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$414 CLP 411.6K

288.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$316 CLP 313.7K

276.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$877 CLP 871.4K

220.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$696 CLP 690.9K

189.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,009 CLP 2.0M

290.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,298 CLP 1.3M

252.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$710 CLP 705.2K

121.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.5

-40.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for La Serena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

La Serena

$316 28.9% 73.5% $874

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

La Serena

$230 21.1% 15.5% $42

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

La Serena

$145 13.3% 40.2% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

La Serena

$116 10.6% 45.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

La Serena

$132 12.1% 20.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

La Serena

$104 9.6% 63.7% $41

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

La Serena

$49 4.5% 22% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $414 in La Serena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $48 in La Serena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $230 – making La Serena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇱 La Serena

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

195,382

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon La Serena 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 La Serena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 102%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,640 in La Serena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Serena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,093 in La Serena. That makes La Serena about 51% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $48 in La Serena. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Serena, where all-in costs run around $1,093, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In La Serena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,093 in La Serena to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with La Serena. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.