Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Palencia

For one person, living is cheaper in Palencia: $1,483 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Palencia
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Palencia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Palencia

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Palencia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,483 in Palencia.

Lisbon $2,210
Palencia $1,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,192 in Palencia.

Lisbon $3,275
Palencia $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,900 in Palencia.

Lisbon $4,341
Palencia $2,900

Living in Lisbon is roughly 49% more expensive than in Palencia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$10.96 €9.82

51.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$42.62 €38.19

44.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.86 €7.04

44.53%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.65 €1.47

80.00%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.22 €1.99

3.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.11 €0.99

56.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.96 €3.55

-14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.25 €2.91

1.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.21 €1.09

-4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.86 €1.66

2.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.37 €1.23

10.22%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.32 €3.87

-6.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.06 €10.81

7.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$8.08 €7.24

-3.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$17.87 €16.01

-0.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.41 €3.05

-32.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.52 €1.36

13.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.65 €2.37

-29.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.30 €2.96

-21.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.35 €2.11

-22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.20 €1.98

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.29 €1.15

13.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.88 €0.79

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.46 €5.79

1.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.93 €8.90

-43.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.34 €1.20

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.78 €1.60

20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.54 €1.38

51.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$32.89 €29.48

35.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.39 €4.83

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.26 €1.13

-15.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$29.88 €26.77

-44.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.77 €1.59

24.29%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$37.3K €33.4K

-8.25%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.7K €25.7K

35.15%

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

$161 €144

$145 €130

11.03%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$18.19 €16.30

1.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$22.72 €20.36

44.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$44.71 €40.06

-0.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$15.56 €13.94

22.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.08 €8.14

5.73%

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

$668 €598

$474 €425

40.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.2K €9,161

72.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$93.1 €83.4

9.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$32.15 €28.81

38.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$108 €97.2

-9.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$119 €106

4.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$674 €604

138.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$560 €502

112.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$989 €886

184.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$847 €759

137.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,375 €3,024

132.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,211 €1,981

106.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,021 €1,811

-22.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.43

12.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Palencia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Palencia

$560 37.8% 53% $630

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Palencia

$294 19.8% 8% $22

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Palencia

$171 11.5% 29.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Palencia

$186 12.6% 12.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Palencia

$159 10.7% 4.4% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Palencia

$63 4.2% 1.4% $0.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Palencia

$51 3.4% 19.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $674 in Palencia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palencia pays 28% 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 $43 in Palencia. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $294, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Palencia

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

76,331

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Palencia 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Palencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,483 in Palencia, so Palencia is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $674 in Palencia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $474 in Palencia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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