Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Quarteira

For one person, living is cheaper in Quarteira: $1,720 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Quarteira
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Quarteira Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Quarteira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Quarteira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,720 in Quarteira.

Lisbon $2,223
Quarteira $1,720

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,512 in Quarteira.

Lisbon $3,271
Quarteira $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,304 in Quarteira.

Lisbon $4,319
Quarteira $3,304

Living in Lisbon is roughly 29% more expensive than in Quarteira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Quarteira 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.70 €12.19

20.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$59.2 €52.6

3.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.99 €9.78

2.55%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.84 €1.63

66.30%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.25 €2.00

0.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.64 €1.46

5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.82 €2.51

20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.44 €2.17

39.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.01 €0.90

10.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.50 €1.33

24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.47 €1.31

4.08%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.52 €3.13

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.55 €11.17

1.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$6.17 €5.49

28.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$11.41 €10.15

48.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.16 €1.92

5.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.42 €1.27

23.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.51 €2.23

2.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.83 €1.63

1.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.95 €1.74

3.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.41 €1.26

2.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.84 €0.74

-2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.38 €5.68

2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.98 €4.43

12.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.97 €0.86

31.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.06 €1.83

0.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$5.20 €4.62

-54.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.77 €3.35

5.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.08 €0.96

0.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$16.48 €14.66

0.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.09 €1.86

9.09%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$33.9K €30.2K

-0.74%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.2K €34.0K

2.83%

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

$167 €149

$163 €145

2.95%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$19.17 €17.05

-1.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$34.28 €30.50

-3.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$87.9 €78.2

-47.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$9.87 €8.78

-0.30%

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

$677 €602

$452 €402

49.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$10.9K €9,700

55.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$71.5 €63.6

41.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$44.65 €39.72

2.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$103 €91.9

-3.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$119 €106

3.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$852 €758

89.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$784 €697

52.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,436 €1,278

99.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,201 €1,068

65.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,323 €1,177

20.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.57

7.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quarteira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Quarteira

$784 45.6% 34.5% $413

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Quarteira

$231 13.4% 14.2% $38

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Quarteira

$199 11.6% 17.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Quarteira

$216 12.6% 1.5% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Quarteira

$152 8.9% 8.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Quarteira

$108 6.3% 63.9% $42

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Quarteira

$30 * 1.7% 52.4% $33

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $852 in Quarteira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 20% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $59.0 in Quarteira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $231 per month, with Quarteira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Quarteira

🕒 Local time

01:32 1:32 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

24,421

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Quarteira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Quarteira differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,720 including rent). Quarteira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $852 in Quarteira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,720 in Quarteira – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,720 in Quarteira versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quarteira but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Quarteira 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 Quarteira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Quarteira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.