Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Quesada

For one person, living is cheaper in Quesada: $1,664 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Quesada
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Quesada Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Quesada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,664 in Quesada.

Lisbon $2,210
Quesada $1,664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,649 in Quesada.

Lisbon $3,275
Quesada $2,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,633 in Quesada.

Lisbon $4,341
Quesada $3,633

Living in Lisbon is roughly 33% more expensive than in Quesada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$12.03 ₡5,410

38.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$61.5 ₡27.6K

0.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$11.85 ₡5,329

-4.14%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$4.34 ₡1,954

-31.57%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.76 ₡1,242

-17.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.86 ₡836

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$3.27 ₡1,472

3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.38 ₡1,069

39.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.32 ₡1,043

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.85 ₡1,281

-32.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.49 ₡1,118

-39.36%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$2.65 ₡1,192

51.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$10.62 ₡4,776

21.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$10.49 ₡4,718

-25.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$13.83 ₡6,221

28.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.28 ₡2,374

-56.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.60 ₡718

8.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.12 ₡503

66.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.99 ₡1,794

-35.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.86 ₡1,734

-52.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.60 ₡1,619

-45.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.12 ₡503

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$3.19 ₡1,436

-77.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

$5.78 ₡2,600

13.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$15.25 ₡6,857

-63.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.89 ₡1,302

-52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.72 ₡1,672

-42.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.42 ₡640

64.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$1.58 ₡710

143.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.57 ₡706

-31.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

$8.77 ₡3,944

87.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.55 ₡697

41.94%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-0.71%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-6.16%

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

$161 €144

$94.6 ₡42.6K

70.37%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$30.47 ₡13.7K

-39.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-40.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$68.7 ₡30.9K

-35.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

$16.49 ₡7,414

15.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$5.39 ₡2,425

78.11%

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

$668 €596

$254 ₡114.3K

162.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$4,200 ₡1.9M

319.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$70.3 ₡31.6K

45.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-19.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$129 ₡57.8K

-23.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$111 ₡49.7K

11.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$815 ₡366.5K

97.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$630 ₡283.2K

88.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$1,911 ₡859.5K

47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$1,257 ₡565.2K

60.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

$4,200 ₡1.9M

86.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

$2,197 ₡988.0K

108.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

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 Quesada: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Quesada

$630 37.8% 47.1% $560

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Quesada

$372 22.4% 36.7% $100

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Quesada

$224 13.4% 7.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Quesada

$180 10.8% 15.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Quesada

$164 9.9% 1.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Quesada

$80 4.8% 24.7% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Quesada

$15 * 0.9% 76.1% $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 $815 in Quesada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $61 in Quesada. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $372, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Quesada

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

21:37 9:37 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

42,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Quesada 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Quesada

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 Quesada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,664 in Quesada, so Quesada is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,496 in Quesada 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 $815 in Quesada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $254 in Quesada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,664 in Quesada – Quesada is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Quesada 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Quesada are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.