Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Leon, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,489 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Leon

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,489

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Leon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,489 in Leon.

Lisbon $2,210
Leon $1,489

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,087 in Leon.

Lisbon $3,275
Leon $2,087

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,686 in Leon.

Lisbon $4,341
Leon $2,686

Living in Lisbon is roughly 48% more expensive than in Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Leon 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.90 €15.15

-1.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$41.23 €36.95

49.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.67 €7.77

31.03%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.87 €2.57

3.48%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.52 €2.25

-9.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.37 €1.23

27.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.86 €2.57

18.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.32 €2.97

-0.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.02 €0.92

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.33 €1.19

43.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.34 €1.20

12.69%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.34 €2.99

20.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.24 €9.18

26.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.29 €5.63

23.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$15.51 €13.90

14.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.38 €2.13

-3.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.20 €1.97

-21.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.35 €2.11

-20.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.37 €2.12

9.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.76 €1.57

3.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.03 €1.82

-2.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.10 €0.99

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.76 €0.68

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.58 €5.00

17.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$4.93 €4.41

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.63 €1.46

-16.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.88 €1.69

13.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.31 €1.18

77.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$33.33 €29.87

34.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.25 €2.02

71.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.20 €1.08

-10.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$35.58 €31.88

-53.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.64 €1.47

34.15%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$37.3K €33.4K

-8.38%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.4K €28.1K

23.28%

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

$161 €144

$170 €152

-5.07%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$16.29 €14.59

13.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$29.33 €26.29

11.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$33.87 €30.35

31.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$6.09 €5.46

213.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.75 €7.84

9.71%

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

$668 €598

$210 €188

218.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$96.0 €86.0

6.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$15.67 €14.04

183.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$82.1 €73.6

19.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$56.8 €50.9

117.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$845 €757

90.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$588 €527

102.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$924 €828

204.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$739 €662

172.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,007 €1,798

290.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,573 €1,410

190.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,764 €1,581

-10.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.6

6.94%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Leon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Leon

$588 39.5% 50.6% $602

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Leon

$242 16.3% 11.2% $30

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Leon

$232 15.6% 4.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Leon

$215 14.5% 1.5% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Leon

$113 7.6% 32% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Leon

$51 3.5% 19.4% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Leon

$47 3.2% 25.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $845 in Leon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leon pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $41 in Leon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $242 per month, with Leon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Leon

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

121,281

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Leon 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,489 in Leon, so Leon is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $845 in Leon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Leon – a meal for two runs $41 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,489 in Leon – Leon is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,489 in Leon versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Leon but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Leon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Leon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Leon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.