Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ponta Delgada

For one person, living is cheaper in Ponta Delgada: $1,660 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
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Ponta Delgada Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ponta Delgada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,660 in Ponta Delgada.

Lisbon $2,210
Ponta Delgada $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,363 in Ponta Delgada.

Lisbon $3,275
Ponta Delgada $2,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,067 in Ponta Delgada.

Lisbon $4,341
Ponta Delgada $3,067

Living in Lisbon is roughly 33% more expensive than in Ponta Delgada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ponta Delgada 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$13.61 €12.23

22.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$44.83 €40.28

37.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$10.72 €9.64

5.97%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.84 €1.65

61.41%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.83 €1.65

25.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.84 €1.66

-5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.15 €2.83

7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.60 €3.24

-8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.93 €0.84

24.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.58 €1.42

20.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.79 €1.61

-15.64%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.09 €2.77

30.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$16.78 €15.08

-22.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$11.35 €10.20

-31.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$17.07 €15.34

4.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.34 €2.10

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.66 €1.49

4.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.17 €1.95

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.10 €2.78

-16.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.54 €1.39

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.62 €1.45

21.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.80 €2.52

-47.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.07 €0.96

-32.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$5.12 €4.60

28.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$5.79 €5.20

-3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.36 €2.12

-42.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.13 €2.81

-31.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.66 €1.49

40.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$56.1 €50.4

-20.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.51 €4.95

-30.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.42 €1.27

-24.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$5.74 €5.15

186.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.98 €1.78

11.11%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.7K €30.3K

1.49%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$39.1K €35.2K

-1.05%

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

$161 €145

$143 €128

12.80%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$18.68 €16.79

-1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$43.32 €38.92

-24.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$33.39 €30.00

33.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$19.50 €17.52

-2.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.24 €8.30

3.90%

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

$668 €600

$285 €256

134.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,594 €5,925

167.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$47.31 €42.51

115.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$33.91 €30.47

31.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$65.9 €59.3

49.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$136 €122

-9.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,152 €1,035

39.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$689 €619

72.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$1,401 €1,259

100.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$931 €837

116.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$4,033 €3,624

94.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$2,977 €2,675

53.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,387 €1,246

13.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.71

3.77%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ponta Delgada: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ponta Delgada

$689 41.5% 42.1% $501

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ponta Delgada

$310 18.7% 14% $38

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ponta Delgada

$201 12.1% 17.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ponta Delgada

$205 12.4% 3.5% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ponta Delgada

$128 7.7% 23.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1% 18.6% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5% 19.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,152 in Ponta Delgada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 14% 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 in Lisbon vs $45 in Ponta Delgada. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $310, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

67,233

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Ponta Delgada 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Ponta Delgada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Ponta Delgada differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,660 including rent). Ponta Delgada is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Lisbon, 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 $1,152 in Ponta Delgada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $285 in Ponta Delgada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,660 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ponta Delgada but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ponta Delgada 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Ponta Delgada are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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