Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rio Tinto

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Tinto: $1,690 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Rio Tinto
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Rio Tinto Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Rio Tinto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rio Tinto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,690 in Rio Tinto.

Lisbon $2,202
Rio Tinto $1,690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,591 in Rio Tinto.

Lisbon $3,274
Rio Tinto $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,491 in Rio Tinto.

Lisbon $4,346
Rio Tinto $3,491

Living in Lisbon is roughly 30% more expensive than in Rio Tinto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Rio Tinto 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$12.73 €11.32

33.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$49.59 €44.11

25.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.06 €8.06

21.63%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.00 €1.78

56.00%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.99 €1.77

14.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.50 €1.33

16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.02 €2.68

13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.83 €2.52

32.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.12 €0.99

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.85 €1.65

0.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.59 €1.41

-3.14%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.92 €2.60

39.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$15.53 €13.82

-16.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.29 €7.38

-4.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$20.69 €18.40

-14.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.40 €2.14

-5.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.43 €1.27

22.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.10 €1.87

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.25 €2.00

13.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.71 €1.52

8.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.11 €1.88

-6.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.61 €1.43

-9.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.12 €1.00

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.81 €6.06

-1.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$4.97 €4.42

14.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.35 €1.20

1.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.47 €2.20

-14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.77 €1.58

31.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$45.29 €40.29

-1.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.37 €3.89

-9.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.47 €0.41

123.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$13.56 €12.06

26.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.15 €1.92

1.86%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$32.8K €29.2K

2.86%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$37.4K €33.2K

2.45%

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

$164 €146

$110 €97.9

48.78%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$17.50 €15.57

5.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$42.98 €38.23

-23.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.17 €36.62

11.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$16.82 €14.96

11.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$8.68 €7.72

12.33%

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

$684 €608

$429 €381

59.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,343 €5,642

177.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$112 €99.6

-7.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$35.80 €31.85

29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$74.6 €66.4

33.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$76.8 €68.3

62.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$931 €828

70.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$791 €703

47.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,094 €1,863

36.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,435 €1,277

38.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,998 €2,667

159.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,293 €2,039

92.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,278 €1,137

25.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.27

17.74%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rio Tinto: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Rio Tinto

$791 46.8% 32.4% $378

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Rio Tinto

$289 17.1% 5.9% $16

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Rio Tinto

$188 11.1% 24.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Rio Tinto

$171 10.1% 20.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Rio Tinto

$135 8% 20.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Rio Tinto

$59 3.5% 10.5% $6.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Rio Tinto

$59 3.5% 6.1% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $931 in Rio Tinto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 25% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $50.0 in Rio Tinto. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $289, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Rio Tinto

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

51,086

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

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Lisbon vs Rio Tinto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Rio Tinto differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,690 including rent). Rio Tinto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $931 in Rio Tinto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $429 in Rio Tinto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,690 in Rio Tinto versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio Tinto but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Tinto 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 Rio Tinto 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 Rio Tinto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.