Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Scalea

For one person, living is cheaper in Scalea: $1,723 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Scalea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,723 in Scalea.

Lisbon $2,210
Scalea $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,482 in Scalea.

Lisbon $3,275
Scalea $2,482

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,241 in Scalea.

Lisbon $4,341
Scalea $3,241

Living in Lisbon is roughly 28% more expensive than in Scalea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Scalea 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$16.80 €15.09

-0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$56.6 €50.8

9.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.02 €9.90

3.09%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.10 €1.89

41.43%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.96 €2.66

-22.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.08 €1.87

-16.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.59 €5.92

-48.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.13 €3.71

-19.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.26 €1.13

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.68 €1.50

13.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.62 €2.35

-42.37%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.41 €3.06

17.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$11.04 €9.92

17.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$11.70 €10.51

-33.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$15.79 €14.18

12.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.99 €1.78

15.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.39 €1.25

33.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.64 €2.37

-1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.74 €1.56

4.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.30 €1.17

51.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.28 €1.15

14.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.46 €0.42

56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.82 €6.12

-3.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.81 €7.01

-28.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.83 €1.64

-25.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.53 €1.37

39.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.66 €1.49

40.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$38.62 €34.69

15.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.57 €4.11

-15.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 €1.02

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$22.00 €19.76

-25.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.12 €1.91

3.77%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$36.0K €32.3K

-5.00%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$37.6K €33.8K

2.99%

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

$161 €145

$315 €283

-48.74%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$10.52 €9.45

75.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$34.57 €31.05

-5.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$53.1 €47.73

-16.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$22.55 €20.26

-15.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.07 €8.14

5.84%

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

$668 €600

$445 €400

50.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,807 €6,114

158.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$83.0 €74.6

22.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$34.18 €30.70

30.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$84.9 €76.3

16.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$129 €116

-4.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$700 €629

129.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$556 €500

113.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,099 €987

156.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$819 €735

145.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,452 €1,304

439.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,141 €1,025

300.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.55

8.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Scalea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Scalea

$556 32.3% 53.3% $634

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Scalea

$278 16.1% 2% $5.5

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Scalea

$254 14.7% 4.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Scalea

$360 20.9% 69.3% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Scalea

$149 8.6% 10.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Scalea

$71 4.1% 11.8% $7.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Scalea

$56 3.2% 12.2% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $700 in Scalea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $57 in Scalea. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $278, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Scalea

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

10,913

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Scalea 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Scalea

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 Scalea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,723 in Scalea, so Scalea is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,585 in Scalea 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 $700 in Scalea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Scalea runs roughly 14% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,723 in Scalea – Scalea is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Scalea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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