Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rota

For one person, living is cheaper in Rota: $1,657 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Rota
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Rota Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Rota

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,657 in Rota.

Lisbon $2,210
Rota $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,448 in Rota.

Lisbon $3,275
Rota $2,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,240 in Rota.

Lisbon $4,341
Rota $3,240

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.95 €15.19

-1.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$62.8 €56.3

-1.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$12.31 €11.03

-7.72%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.20 €1.97

35.00%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.71 €2.43

-15.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.91 €1.72

-8.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.45 €3.10

-1.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.61 €4.13

-28.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.18 €1.06

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.45 €1.30

31.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.77 €1.59

-14.69%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.33 €2.98

20.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$15.49 €13.88

-16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$7.99 €7.16

-2.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$15.24 €13.65

16.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.56 €2.30

-10.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.97 €1.76

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.76 €1.58

5.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.56 €2.30

1.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.63 €1.46

11.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.07 €1.85

-4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.26 €1.12

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.71 €0.63

1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.44 €5.77

2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.57 €5.89

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.19 €1.06

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.33 €2.09

-8.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.67 €1.50

39.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$32.10 €28.77

39.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.92 €1.72

100.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.23 €1.10

-13.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$22.49 €20.15

-26.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.79 €1.60

22.91%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.6K €30.1K

1.80%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.3K €28.0K

23.74%

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

$161 €144

$165 €148

-2.10%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$10.89 €9.76

69.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$25.02 €22.42

30.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$44.69 €40.05

-0.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$15.51 €13.90

23.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.48 €8.50

1.27%

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

$668 €598

$856 €767

-21.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,996 €8,957

76.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$89.4 €80.1

14.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$38.64 €34.62

15.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$84.7 €75.9

16.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$106 €95.1

16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$882 €791

82.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$688 €617

72.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,356 €1,215

107.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,023 €917

96.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,235 €2,899

142.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,227 €1,995

105.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.29

17.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rota: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Rota

$688 41.6% 42.2% $502

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Rota

$270 16.3% 1% $2.7

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Rota

$244 14.7% 0.6% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Rota

$201 12.1% 5.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rota

$143 8.7% 13.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Rota

$64 3.8% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Rota

$47 2.8% 25.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $882 in Rota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $63 in Rota. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $270, with Rota cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Rota

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

29,675

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Rota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,657 in Rota, so Rota 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 $2,485 in Rota 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 $882 in Rota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $856 in Rota. 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 $1,657 in Rota – Rota is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,657 in Rota versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rota but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rota 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 Rota are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.