Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Riobamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Riobamba: $574 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Riobamba
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Riobamba Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Riobamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Riobamba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $574 in Riobamba.

Lisbon $2,223
Riobamba $574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $914 in Riobamba.

Lisbon $3,271
Riobamba $914

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,253 in Riobamba.

Lisbon $4,319
Riobamba $1,253

Living in Lisbon is roughly 287% more expensive than in Riobamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Riobamba is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.71

$3.43 $3.43

381.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.6

$15.99 $15.99

283.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.05

$6.48 $6.48

73.92%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$2.49 $2.49

22.89%

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

$2.26 €2.02

$0.78 $0.78

189.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.74 $0.74

133.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.95 $1.95

73.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.03

$3.06 $3.06

11.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.99 $0.99

13.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.08 $2.08

-10.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.87 $0.87

75.86%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$1.70 $1.70

132.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.38

$1.96 $1.96

551.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.04

$3.20 $3.20

146.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.13

$4.86 $4.86

249.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.73 $1.73

31.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.51 $0.51

243.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.35 $1.35

37.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.01 $1.01

154.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.79 $0.79

135.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.91 $0.91

121.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.46 $0.46

213.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.98 $0.98

-16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.85

$5.20 $5.20

26.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.01

$5.71 $5.71

-1.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.51 $1.51

-15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.02 $3.02

-31.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.27 $0.27

770.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.41

$15.65 $15.65

182.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.56

$1.21 $1.21

229.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.13 $1.13

-3.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.85

$11.14 $11.14

49.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.88 $0.88

159.09%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$25.4K $25.4K

32.62%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$29.3K $29.3K

34.02%

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

$167 €149

$20.13 $20.13

732.04%

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

$18.80 €16.77

$7.06 $7.06

166.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.52

$26.44 $26.44

25.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.04

$25.23 $25.23

82.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.12

$16.97 $16.97

13.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.78

$5.95 $5.95

65.38%

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

$677 €604

$81.4 $81.4

732.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$1,420 $1,420

1091.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.3

$51.0 $51.0

98.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.82

$47.07 $47.07

-2.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €89.2

$105 $105

-5.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$72.3 $72.3

69.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,440

$114 $114

1313.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,068

$94.8 $94.8

1163.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,553

$228 $228

1155.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,775

$188 $188

960.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,759

$1,173 $1,173

545.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,842

$738 $738

483.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,416

$330 $330

381.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.16

-65.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Riobamba: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Riobamba

$95 16.5% 92.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Riobamba

$142 24.8% 47.1% $127

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Riobamba

$99 17.2% 59.2% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Riobamba

$54 9.3% 75.5% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Riobamba

$124 21.6% 25.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Riobamba

$37 6.5% 43.5% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Riobamba

$24 4.1% 62.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $114 in Riobamba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 381% 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 $16.00 in Riobamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $142 per month, with Riobamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Riobamba

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

09:27 9:27 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Riobamba 8,370 km ≈ 11 h 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 Riobamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Riobamba differ by about 287% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $574 including rent). Riobamba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 381% 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 $114 in Riobamba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $81.4 in Riobamba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $574 in Riobamba versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Riobamba but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Riobamba 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 Riobamba 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 Riobamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 287% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.