Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Playa del Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,676 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
Learn more

Playa del Coco Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Playa del Coco

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 Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,676 in Playa del Coco.

Lisbon $2,210
Playa del Coco $1,676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,700 in Playa del Coco.

Lisbon $3,275
Playa del Coco $2,700

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,724 in Playa del Coco.

Lisbon $4,341
Playa del Coco $3,724

Living in Lisbon is roughly 32% more expensive than in Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Playa del Coco 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$18.46 ₡8,328

-9.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$58.1 ₡26.2K

6.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.36 ₡6,030

-14.97%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.35 ₡1,965

-31.72%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.65 ₡1,197

-13.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.60 ₡724

8.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.58 ₡1,613

-5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.15 ₡2,774

-46.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.30 ₡1,039

-49.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.79 ₡1,260

-31.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.44 ₡1,102

-38.11%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.56 ₡1,605

12.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.56 ₡4,764

22.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.58 ₡4,776

-26.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$16.10 ₡7,264

10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$5.57 ₡2,516

-58.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.77 ₡798

-2.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.84 ₡1,731

-51.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.58 ₡1,614

-27.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.43 ₡1,548

-46.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$3.07 ₡1,386

-35.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.20 ₡542

22.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.67 ₡1,206

-73.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.81 ₡2,623

13.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$16.66 ₡7,517

-66.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.51 ₡1,131

-45.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.65 ₡1,194

-19.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.33 ₡600

75.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.46 ₡1,110

56.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.55 ₡701

-30.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$9.30 ₡4,198

76.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.58 ₡714

39.24%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-0.40%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$41.0K ₡18.5M

-5.49%

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

$161 €145

$93.6 ₡42.2K

72.26%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$29.79 ₡13.4K

-38.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$58.3 ₡26.3K

-43.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$71.1 ₡32.1K

-37.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.18 ₡3,240

33.70%

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

$668 €600

$756 ₡340.9K

-11.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

3.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$82.1 ₡37.1K

24.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$55.6 ₡25.1K

-20.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$110 ₡49.6K

-10.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$116 ₡52.5K

6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$882 ₡397.8K

82.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$559 ₡252.1K

113.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,979 ₡893.1K

42.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,193 ₡538.1K

68.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$334 ₡150.8K

1269.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$772 ₡348.3K

104.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3% 53.1% $631

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 41% $112

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 18.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 14.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 1.3% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 34% $22

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 75.4% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $882 in Playa del Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $58 in Playa del Coco. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $384, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Playa del Coco 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Playa del Coco

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 Playa del Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,676 in Playa del Coco, so Playa del Coco is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2 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 $882 in Playa del Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,676 in Playa del Coco – Playa del Coco is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,676 in Playa del Coco versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Playa del Coco but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Coco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Coco wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.