Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ponce

For one person, living is cheaper in Ponce: $1,947 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Ponce
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Ponce Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ponce

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ponce

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,947 in Ponce.

Lisbon $2,210
Ponce $1,947

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,720 in Ponce.

Lisbon $3,275
Ponce $2,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,493 in Ponce.

Lisbon $4,341
Ponce $3,493

Living in Lisbon is roughly 13% more expensive than in Ponce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ponce 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$16.62 $16.62

0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$60.2 $60.2

2.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.39 $9.39

20.98%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.53 $3.53

-15.86%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.70 $1.70

34.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.51 $1.51

15.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.83 $2.83

20.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.03 $4.03

-17.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.68 $1.68

-30.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.54 $3.54

-46.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.98 $0.98

54.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.98 $5.98

-32.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.61 $12.61

2.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.74 $6.74

15.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$13.12 $13.12

35.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.94 $4.94

-53.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.58 $2.58

-32.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.85 $4.85

-61.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.91 $4.91

-47.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.72 $3.72

-51.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$4.05 $4.05

-51.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$3.51 $3.51

-58.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.64 $1.64

-56.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$11.86 $11.86

-44.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$15.52 $15.52

-63.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.08 $3.08

-55.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.91 $3.91

-45.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.47 $2.47

55.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.46 $1.46

-26.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$42.44 $42.44

-61.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.12 $1.12

96.43%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$34.2K $34.2K

0.08%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$28.2K $28.2K

37.34%

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

$161 €145

$319 $319

-49.40%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$49.79 $49.79

-63.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$60.5 $60.5

-45.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$30.05 $30.05

48.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.12 $7.12

34.83%

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

$668 €600

$830 $830

-19.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,498 $3,498

403.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$55.8 $55.8

82.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$40.51 $40.51

9.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$78.7 $78.7

25.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$114 $114

8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,053 $1,053

52.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$714 $714

66.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,124 $2,124

32.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$946 $946

112.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.55

-41.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ponce: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ponce

$714 36.7% 40% $476

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ponce

$382 19.6% 40.4% $110

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ponce

$238 12.2% 1.7% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ponce

$429 22% 102% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ponce

$130 6.7% 21.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ponce

$44 2.3% 30.5% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ponce

$9.8 * 0.5% 84.6% $53

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 $1,053 in Ponce. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $60 in Ponce. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $382, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇷 Ponce

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

107,951

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Ponce 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Ponce

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 Ponce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Ponce differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,947 including rent). Ponce is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,921 in Ponce 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,053 in Ponce. 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 $1,947 in Ponce – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Ponce gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.