Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Montanita

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $894 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$894

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Montanita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $894 in Montanita.

Lisbon $2,206
Montanita $894

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,349 in Montanita.

Lisbon $3,276
Montanita $1,349

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,805 in Montanita.

Lisbon $4,346
Montanita $1,805

Living in Lisbon is roughly 147% more expensive than in Montanita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Montanita is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$3.45 $3.45

388.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$28.46 $28.46

114.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$7.47 $7.47

46.99%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$2.52 $2.52

21.03%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.87 $0.87

162.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.67 $0.67

150.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.05 $2.05

67.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$3.59 $3.59

8.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.09 $1.09

5.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.62 $1.62

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.56 $1.56

-3.85%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.18 $2.18

88.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$5.60 $5.60

132.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$5.46 $5.46

47.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$6.14 $6.14

191.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.08 $2.08

9.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.20 $1.20

45.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.08 $1.08

68.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.09 $1.09

146.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.44 $1.44

22.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.08 $1.08

79.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.48 $0.48

204.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.99 $0.99

-23.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$6.18 $6.18

7.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$9.87 $9.87

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.52 $1.52

-15.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.44 $2.44

-12.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.34 $0.34

576.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

$23.63 $23.63

86.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.47 $1.47

170.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.99 $0.99

-35.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$9.96 $9.96

90.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.63 $0.63

261.90%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$24.7K $24.7K

35.28%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$28.5K $28.5K

35.19%

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

$158 €141

$39.32 $39.32

302.31%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$13.65 $13.65

28.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$30.74 $30.74

1.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$30.35 $30.35

47.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$14.74 $14.74

28.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$7.39 $7.39

29.63%

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

$674 €600

$254 $254

164.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$5,701 $5,701

228.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$56.1 $56.1

82.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$43.64 $43.64

5.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$99.0 $99.0

3.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$75.9 $75.9

60.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$342 $342

379.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$322 $322

269.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$632 $632

346.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$507 $507

298.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

$1,259 $1,259

522.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

$1,013 $1,013

364.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

-61.80%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Montanita: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Montanita

$322 36% 72.9% $866

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Montanita

$184 20.6% 32.8% $90

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Montanita

$104 11.6% 57.7% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Montanita

$84 9.4% 59.5% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Montanita

$124 13.8% 26.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Montanita

$45 5.1% 29.2% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Montanita

$31 3.5% 48.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $342 in Montanita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $28 in Montanita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $184 per month, with Montanita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Montanita

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

07:54 7:54 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Montanita 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Montanita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $894 in Montanita, so Montanita is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,341 in Montanita to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $342 in Montanita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $254 in Montanita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $894 in Montanita versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Montanita but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Montanita 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 Montanita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.