Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sonsonate

For one person, living is cheaper in Sonsonate: $1,151 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Sonsonate
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Sonsonate Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sonsonate

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sonsonate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,151 in Sonsonate.

Lisbon $2,210
Sonsonate $1,151

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,724 in Sonsonate.

Lisbon $3,275
Sonsonate $1,724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,296 in Sonsonate.

Lisbon $4,341
Sonsonate $2,296

Living in Lisbon is roughly 92% more expensive than in Sonsonate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sonsonate is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$6.66 $6.66

150.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$45.42 $45.42

35.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.05 $7.05

61.13%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.45 $3.45

-13.91%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.12 $1.12

104.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.81 $0.81

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.05 $2.05

65.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.64 $3.64

-9.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.87 $1.87

-37.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.80 $2.80

-31.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.40 $1.40

7.86%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.96 $2.96

35.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.66 $7.66

68.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$7.06 $7.06

10.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$10.22 $10.22

73.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.96 $4.96

-53.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.38 $1.38

25.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.60 $2.60

-28.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.47 $3.47

-25.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.97 $2.97

-38.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$3.26 $3.26

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.97 $0.97

51.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.98 $0.98

-26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.08 $4.08

61.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$11.82 $11.82

-52.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.18 $2.18

-37.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.98 $2.98

-28.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$6.03 $6.03

-36.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.94 $2.94

-63.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$20.17 $20.17

-18.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.23 $1.23

78.86%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$24.6K $24.6K

39.20%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

42.50%

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

$161 €145

$130 $130

23.84%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$20.96 $20.96

-12.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$42.83 $42.83

-23.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.86 $4.86

97.53%

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

$668 €600

$165 $165

305.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,788 $4,788

267.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$66.1 $66.1

54.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$46.24 $46.24

-3.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$116 $116

-15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$117 $117

5.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$546 $546

194.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$344 $344

245.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$736 $736

281.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$506 $506

297.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.5

-54.71%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sonsonate: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sonsonate

$344 29.9% 71.1% $846

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sonsonate

$285 24.8% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sonsonate

$141 12.3% 41.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sonsonate

$194 16.9% 8.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sonsonate

$156 13.5% 6.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sonsonate

$9.7 * 0.8% 84.8% $54

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sonsonate

$21 * 1.8% 67.2% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $546 in Sonsonate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $45 in Sonsonate. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $285, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇻 Sonsonate

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

21:08 9:08 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

59,468

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sonsonate 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Sonsonate

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 Sonsonate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,151 in Sonsonate, so Sonsonate is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,726 in Sonsonate 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 $546 in Sonsonate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,151 in Sonsonate – Sonsonate is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,151 in Sonsonate versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sonsonate but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sonsonate 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 Sonsonate are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.