Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Quito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $978 in Quito.

Lisbon $2,223
Quito $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,586 in Quito.

Lisbon $3,271
Quito $1,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,194 in Quito.

Lisbon $4,319
Quito $2,194

Living in Lisbon is roughly 127% more expensive than in Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Quito is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$6.08 $6.08

171.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$55.5 $55.5

10.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.61 $7.61

48.09%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.40 $3.40

-10.00%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.37 $1.37

64.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.09 $1.09

58.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.43 $3.43

-1.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.06 $6.06

-43.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.14 $1.14

-1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.60 $1.60

16.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.58 $1.58

-3.16%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.12 $2.12

86.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$6.58 $6.58

93.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$5.51 $5.51

43.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$7.65 $7.65

121.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.24 $2.24

1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.19 $1.19

47.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.33 $1.33

39.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.13 $1.13

127.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.24 $1.24

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.02 $1.02

98.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.92 $0.92

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.05 $1.05

-21.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.16 $6.16

6.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.07 $10.07

-44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.58 $1.58

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.09 $3.09

-33.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.36 $0.36

552.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$21.37 $21.37

106.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.53 $1.53

160.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.49 $1.49

-26.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$9.84 $9.84

69.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.81 $0.81

181.48%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.3K $21.3K

58.45%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$27.9K $27.9K

40.84%

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

$167 €149

$28.75 $28.75

482.57%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$17.86 $17.86

5.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$28.20 $28.20

17.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$46.08 $46.08

-0.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$17.76 $17.76

8.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.34 $6.34

55.21%

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

$677 €602

$739 $739

-8.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$8,909 $8,909

89.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$71.0 $71.0

42.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$50.4 $50.4

-9.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$114 $114

-12.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$107 $107

14.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$491 $491

228.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$309 $309

287.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$932 $932

206.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$540 $540

268.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,759 $1,759

330.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$715 $715

502.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$594 $594

167.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.12

-61.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Quito

$309 31.6% 74.2% $888

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Quito

$198 20.3% 26.5% $71

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Quito

$151 15.5% 37.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Quito

$75 7.7% 65.9% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Quito

$154 15.8% 7.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Quito

$59 6% 10.5% $6.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Quito

$32 3.3% 49.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $491 in Quito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 167% 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 $55.0 in Quito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $198 per month, with Quito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

11:40 11:40 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Quito 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Quito differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $978 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 167% 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 $491 in Quito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $739 in Quito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $978 in Quito versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Quito 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 Quito 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 Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.