Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Salamanca Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Salamanca

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,099 in Salamanca.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,289 in Lisbon versus $1,757 in Salamanca.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,369 in Lisbon versus $2,416 in Salamanca.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 101% more expensive than in Salamanca, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Salamanca is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.71 €13.76

$10.63 MX$185

47.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.9 €55.1

$39.27 MX$683

60.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 €9.23

$7.94 MX$138

32.62%

Cappuccino

$2.88 €2.53

$3.22 MX$56.0

-10.56%

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

$2.25 €1.97

$1.27 MX$22.11

77.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.36

$0.91 MX$15.85

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €2.97

$2.42 MX$42.20

40.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 €3.41

$3.82 MX$66.5

2.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.95

$1.42 MX$24.71

-23.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 €1.51

$2.54 MX$44.28

-31.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.54

$1.56 MX$27.10

12.82%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.77

$2.37 MX$41.20

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.64

$8.05 MX$140

65.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 €6.89

$7.97 MX$139

-1.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.84 €13.88

$10.46 MX$182

51.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.11

$2.68 MX$46.65

-10.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.49

$1.39 MX$24.16

22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.78

$1.73 MX$30.07

17.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.21

$1.65 MX$28.63

52.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.63

$1.83 MX$31.90

1.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.81

$1.99 MX$34.71

3.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 €1.75

$1.25 MX$21.73

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.68

$0.98 MX$17.05

-20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.82

$4.15 MX$72.3

60.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.06

$9.39 MX$163

-38.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.21

$1.60 MX$27.89

-13.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.64

$2.87 MX$49.90

5.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.04

$0.64 MX$11.15

264.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.45 €39.82

$10.55 MX$184

330.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.57

$2.65 MX$46.20

53.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 €0.70

$1.52 MX$26.52

-47.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.65 €16.34

$8.36 MX$146

123.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.75

$1.32 MX$22.94

51.52%

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

$35.4K €31.0K

$21.3K MX$370.7K

66.09%

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

$39.1K €34.2K

$22.3K MX$388.3K

75.06%

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

$150 €132

$56.4 MX$981

166.22%

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

$20.55 €18.01

$21.86 MX$380

-5.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 €34.56

$28.07 MX$488

40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.06 €42.11

$35.64 MX$620

34.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.70 €16.38

$15.97 MX$278

17.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 €8.15

$4.54 MX$78.9

104.85%

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

$628 €550

$210 MX$3,646

199.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.4K

$3,664 MX$63.8K

349.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €89.0

$53.6 MX$933

89.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.55 €36.40

$40.30 MX$701

3.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 €81.0

$89.5 MX$1,557

3.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €107

$78.2 MX$1,360

56.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 €1,426

$519 MX$9,036

213.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,080

$403 MX$7,009

206.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,126 €2,739

$950 MX$16.5K

229.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 €1,803

$767 MX$13.3K

168.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,762 €6,801

$1,731 MX$30.1K

348.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,386 €3,843

$1,256 MX$21.9K

249.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,621 €1,420

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

11.48

-66.81%

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

Last update for Lisbon: July 21, 2026

Last update for Salamanca: July 22, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Lisbon and $519 in Salamanca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $39.00 in Salamanca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $246 per month, with Salamanca cheaper across the board.

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

Lisbon and Salamanca differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,099 including rent). Salamanca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,648 in Salamanca 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: $1,628 in Lisbon versus $519 in Salamanca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $628 in Lisbon versus $210 in Salamanca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,099 in Salamanca versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Salamanca but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Salamanca 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 Salamanca 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 Salamanca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.