Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Salamanca, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Salamanca: $1,436 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Salamanca
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Salamanca Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Salamanca

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Salamanca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,436 in Salamanca.

Lisbon $2,210
Salamanca $1,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,417 in Salamanca.

Lisbon $3,275
Salamanca $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,399 in Salamanca.

Lisbon $4,341
Salamanca $3,399

Living in Lisbon is roughly 54% more expensive than in Salamanca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Salamanca 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$14.81 €13.27

12.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$56.7 €50.8

8.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$10.15 €9.09

11.92%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.37 €2.13

25.32%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.98 €1.77

15.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.14 €1.02

52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.08 €2.76

10.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.97 €2.66

11.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.33 €1.19

-12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.21 €1.08

57.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.77 €1.58

-14.69%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.65 €3.27

10.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.53 €11.22

3.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$7.94 €7.11

-2.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$15.03 €13.46

18.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.76 €1.57

30.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.44 €1.29

20.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.34 €2.99

-44.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.95 €1.75

32.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.33 €1.19

36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.84 €1.65

7.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.26 €1.13

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.43 €0.39

67.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.05 €5.41

8.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$4.43 €3.97

26.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.32 €1.18

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.77 €1.58

20.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.51 €1.36

54.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$22.63 €20.27

97.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.41 €4.85

-28.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.27 €1.13

-15.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$28.84 €25.83

-42.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.74 €1.56

26.44%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.0K €34.0K

-9.97%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$28.6K €25.6K

35.61%

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

$161 €144

$142 €127

13.37%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$17.97 €16.10

2.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$22.48 €20.14

45.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$45.31 €40.58

-1.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$11.03 €9.88

73.16%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.00 €8.06

6.67%

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

$668 €598

$472 €423

41.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,360 €6,592

139.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$84.2 €75.4

21.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$25.92 €23.21

71.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$77.1 €69.1

27.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$91.0 €81.5

35.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$768 €688

109.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$566 €507

110.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,297 €1,161

116.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,395 €1,250

44.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$3,450 €3,090

127.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,572 €1,408

191.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,628 €1,458

-3.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.43

12.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Salamanca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Salamanca

$566 39.4% 52.5% $624

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Salamanca

$247 17.2% 9.4% $26

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Salamanca

$211 14.7% 12.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Salamanca

$183 12.7% 14% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Salamanca

$125 8.7% 24.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Salamanca

$63 4.4% 0.7% $0.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Salamanca

$40 2.8% 36% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $768 in Salamanca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salamanca pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $57 in Salamanca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $247 per month, with Salamanca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Salamanca

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

23:00 11:00 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

143,954

💱 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.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Salamanca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,436 in Salamanca, so Salamanca is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $768 in Salamanca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $472 in Salamanca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Salamanca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Salamanca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.