Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sabadell

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabadell: $1,828 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Sabadell
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,828
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sabadell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,828 in Sabadell.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Sabadell $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,513 in Sabadell.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Sabadell $2,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,197 in Sabadell.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Sabadell $3,197

Living in Lisbon is roughly 20% more expensive than in Sabadell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sabadell 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$14.34 €12.76
18.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$55.3 €49.16
12.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$9.97 €8.87
10.53%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$2.40 €2.14
30.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.41 €2.14
-5.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.89 €1.68
-7.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$3.35 €2.98
2.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$3.37 €3.00
10.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.15 €1.03
1.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.09 €1.86
-11.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.40 €1.24
10.00%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$3.09 €2.75
31.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$14.79 €13.16
-12.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$8.59 €7.64
-8.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$19.86 €17.66
-11.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.50 €2.23
-9.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.06 €1.83
-15.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$2.58 €2.30
-26.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$2.48 €2.20
3.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$1.83 €1.63
1.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$2.06 €1.83
-4.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.52 €1.35
-4.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.95 €0.84
-18.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$6.80 €6.05
-1.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$5.53 €4.92
2.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.14 €1.01
20.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$2.40 €2.13
-12.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$2.40 €2.13
-3.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
$23.16 €20.61
91.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$3.15 €2.80
25.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$1.34 €1.20
-21.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$23.93 €21.29
-28.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.77 €1.57
23.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$33.3K €29.6K
1.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$29.0K €25.8K
31.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$127 €113
28.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$13.65 €12.14
35.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$33.43 €29.74
-1.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$30.56 €27.19
50.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
$8.49 €7.55
120.02%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$10.07 €8.96
-3.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$505 €449
35.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$10.0K €8,898
76.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$78.7 €70.0
31.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$34.25 €30.47
34.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$107 €95.2
-6.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$90.1 €80.1
38.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$1,012 €900
57.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$914 €813
27.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$1,443 €1,283
97.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$1,091 €971
82.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$3,477 €3,093
124.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$2,574 €2,290
71.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Sabadell
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
$2,163 €1,924
-26.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.3
16.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sabadell: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Sabadell
$914 21.8% $255
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Sabadell
$293 7.5% $20
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Sabadell
$214 13.4% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Sabadell
$174 19.1% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Sabadell
$140 17.2% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Sabadell
$51 22.4% $15
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Sabadell
$43 32.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,012 in Sabadell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sabadell pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $55.0 in Sabadell. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $293, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇪🇸 Sabadell
🕒 Local time
11:16 11:16 AM
12:16 12:16 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
218,300
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Sabadell 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Sabadell

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 Sabadell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Sabadell?
Lisbon and Sabadell differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,828 including rent). Sabadell is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Sabadell. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Sabadell?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,012 in Sabadell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Sabadell?
Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $505 in Sabadell. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,828 in Sabadell versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sabadell but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sabadell the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Sabadell?
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.
Is Lisbon or Sabadell safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Sabadell are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Sabadell?
Expats usually find Sabadell gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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