Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Loja

For one person, living is cheaper in Loja: $681 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Loja
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Loja Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Loja

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Loja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $681 in Loja.

Lisbon $2,210
Loja $681

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,074 in Loja.

Lisbon $3,275
Loja $1,074

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,468 in Loja.

Lisbon $4,341
Loja $1,468

Living in Lisbon is roughly 225% more expensive than in Loja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Loja is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$3.05 $3.05

445.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$20.66 $20.66

198.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.61 $5.61

102.50%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.22 $2.22

33.78%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.78 $0.78

193.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.43 $0.43

304.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.22 $1.22

178.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.23 $3.23

2.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.02 $1.02

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.48 $1.48

29.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.32 $1.32

14.39%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.92 $1.92

109.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$5.60 $5.60

131.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.29 $4.29

81.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$6.07 $6.07

192.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.69 $1.69

36.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.09 $1.09

58.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.20 $1.20

55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.12 $1.12

131.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.06 $1.06

71.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.03 $1.03

91.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.52 $0.52

182.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.11 $1.11

-35.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.23 $5.23

25.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.82 $6.82

-17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.53 $1.53

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.93 $2.93

-26.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.33 $0.33

606.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$30.52 $30.52

46.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.24 $1.24

210.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.08 $1.08

-0.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$9.86 $9.86

66.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.74 $0.74

197.30%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$15.0K $15.0K

127.24%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.5K $28.5K

35.79%

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

$161 €144

$19.98 $19.98

706.91%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$11.49 $11.49

60.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$27.07 $27.07

20.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$29.70 $29.70

50.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$15.03 $15.03

27.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.26 $7.26

32.23%

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

$668 €598

$180 $180

271.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,965 $1,965

796.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$52.8 $52.8

93.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$47.86 $47.86

-7.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$79.9 $79.9

23.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$73.1 $73.1

69.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$240 $240

571.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$172 $172

590.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$377 $377

645.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$315 $315

539.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$559 $559

1302.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$324 $324

1313.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$506 $506

211.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.5

-54.71%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Loja: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Loja

$172 25.3% 85.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Loja

$168 24.6% 38.4% $105

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Loja

$85 12.5% 64.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Loja

$59 8.6% 72.4% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Loja

$114 16.8% 31.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Loja

$44 6.5% 30.6% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Loja

$38 5.7% 39.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $240 in Loja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.1 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $21 in Loja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $168 per month, with Loja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Loja

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

180,617

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Loja 8,580 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 Loja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $681 in Loja, so Loja is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.1 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 $240 in Loja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $180 in Loja. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $681 in Loja versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Loja but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Loja 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 Loja are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Loja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.