Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Palma Soriano

For one person, living is cheaper in Palma Soriano: $1,565 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Palma Soriano
🇨🇺 Cuba
$1,565
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Palma Soriano

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,565 in Palma Soriano.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Palma Soriano $1,565

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,874 in Palma Soriano.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Palma Soriano $1,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,183 in Palma Soriano.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Palma Soriano $2,183

Living in Lisbon is roughly 41% more expensive than in Palma Soriano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Palma Soriano 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$4.86 CUP 117
250.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$24.89 CUP 597
150.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$4.88 CUP 117
125.82%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$3.16 CUP 75.7
-1.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.26 CUP 30.25
80.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.89 CUP 21.27
95.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$3.07 CUP 73.7
11.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$2.47 CUP 59.3
51.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$2.03 CUP 48.71
-42.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.47 CUP 35.25
26.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.01 CUP 24.31
52.48%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$1.22 CUP 29.17
232.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$5.83 CUP 140
121.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$6.08 CUP 146
29.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$11.21 CUP 269
57.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$1.88 CUP 45.07
20.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.19 CUP 28.55
47.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$1.46 CUP 34.96
29.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$1.53 CUP 36.71
67.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$0.97 CUP 23.29
90.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$0.99 CUP 23.69
98.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.02 CUP 24.52
42.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$1.12 CUP 26.84
-31.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$2.97 CUP 71.3
125.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$10.01 CUP 240
-43.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$3.03 CUP 72.8
-54.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.98 CUP 47.48
6.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$0.24 CUP 5.72
866.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
$30.36 CUP 729
46.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$1.84 CUP 44.14
114.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$0.34 CUP 8.05
208.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$13.16 CUP 316
30.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.18 CUP 28.34
85.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$65.4K CUP 1.6M
-48.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$46.5K CUP 1.1M
-17.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$55.8 CUP 1,340
193.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$9.81 CUP 235
88.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$145 CUP 3,484
-77.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$40.02 CUP 961
14.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
$9.83 CUP 236
90.03%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$1.02 CUP 24.49
855.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$100 CUP 2,403
583.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$11.8K CUP 283.6K
49.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$65.2 CUP 1,565
59.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$34.94 CUP 838
32.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$85.5 CUP 2,051
16.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$111 CUP 2,660
12.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$875 CUP 21.0K
81.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$807 CUP 19.4K
44.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$757 CUP 18.2K
276.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$656 CUP 15.7K
203.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$322 CUP 7,725
2321.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$324 CUP 7,785
1261.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Palma Soriano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
$39.94 CUP 959
3905.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
8.33
-53.78%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Palma Soriano: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Palma Soriano
$807 31% $362
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Palma Soriano
$217 20.5% $56
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Palma Soriano
$120 51.4% $127
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Palma Soriano
$211 2.1% $4.4
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Palma Soriano
$133 20.8% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Palma Soriano
$42 35.7% $23
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Palma Soriano
$35 44.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $875 in Palma Soriano. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 3906% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $25.00 in Palma Soriano for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $217 per month, with Palma Soriano cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇨🇺 Palma Soriano
🕒 Local time
17:02 5:02 PM
12:02 12:02 PM
5 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
74,930
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Palma Soriano 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Palma Soriano

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 Palma Soriano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Palma Soriano?
Lisbon and Palma Soriano differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,565 including rent). Palma Soriano is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Palma Soriano?
Average pay runs 3906% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Palma Soriano?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $875 in Palma Soriano. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Palma Soriano?
Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $100 in Palma Soriano. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,565 in Palma Soriano versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Palma Soriano but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Palma Soriano the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Palma Soriano?
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.
Is Lisbon or Palma Soriano safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Palma Soriano are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Palma Soriano?
Expats usually find Palma Soriano gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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