Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Machala

For one person, living is cheaper in Machala: $656 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Machala
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Machala Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Machala

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Machala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $656 in Machala.

Lisbon $2,210
Machala $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,046 in Machala.

Lisbon $3,275
Machala $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,435 in Machala.

Lisbon $4,341
Machala $1,435

Living in Lisbon is roughly 237% more expensive than in Machala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Machala is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$2.81 $2.81

492.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$25.28 $25.28

144.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.21 $5.21

118.04%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.68 $2.68

10.82%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.86 $0.86

166.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.72 $0.72

141.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.03 $2.03

67.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.69 $3.69

-10.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.04 $1.04

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.05 $1.05

81.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.91 $0.91

65.93%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.49 $1.49

169.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$3.23 $3.23

300.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.17 $4.17

86.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$4.72 $4.72

276.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.47 $1.47

56.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.59 $0.59

193.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.77 $0.77

141.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.58 $0.58

346.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.41 $0.41

343.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.48 $0.48

310.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.39 $0.39

276.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.99 $0.99

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.37 $4.37

50.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.64 $7.64

-26.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.57 $1.57

-13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.22 $2.22

-3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.34 $0.34

585.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$22.09 $22.09

102.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.53 $1.53

151.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.73 $1.73

-38.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$8.11 $8.11

102.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.61 $0.61

260.66%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$17.7K $17.7K

93.02%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$22.0K $22.0K

75.95%

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

$161 €144

$52.2 $52.2

208.91%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$14.97 $14.97

22.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$26.58 $26.58

23.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$42.15 $42.15

5.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$29.74 $29.74

-35.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$4.89 $4.89

96.32%

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

$668 €598

$133 $133

402.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,675 $5,675

210.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$64.5 $64.5

58.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$39.94 $39.94

11.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$80.9 $80.9

21.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$68.6 $68.6

80.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$190 $190

745.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$133 $133

793.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$353 $353

697.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$264 $264

661.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$444 $444

255.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-23.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Machala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Machala

$133 20.3% 88.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Machala

$135 20.6% 50.3% $137

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Machala

$94 14.3% 61.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Machala

$94 14.3% 55.9% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Machala

$114 17.4% 31.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Machala

$52 7.9% 18.5% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Machala

$34 5.1% 46.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $190 in Machala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $25 in Machala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $135 per month, with Machala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Machala

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

20:21 8:21 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

231,260

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Machala 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Machala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $656 in Machala, so Machala is about 70% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.6 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 $190 in Machala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $133 in Machala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $656 in Machala versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Machala but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Machala 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.

Expats usually find Machala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.