Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Spanish Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Spanish Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,009 in Spanish Town.

Lisbon $2,210
Spanish Town $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,922 in Spanish Town.

Lisbon $3,275
Spanish Town $1,922

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,834 in Spanish Town.

Lisbon $4,341
Spanish Town $2,834

Living in Lisbon is roughly 119% more expensive than in Spanish Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Spanish Town is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$13.69 JMD 2,163

21.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

-16.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$8.42 JMD 1,331

34.92%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$5.23 JMD 826

-43.21%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.16 JMD 183

97.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.74 JMD 118

135.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$2.19 JMD 346

55.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$3.17 JMD 500

4.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$4.21 JMD 666

-72.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.69 JMD 583

-48.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.64 JMD 260

-7.93%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$3.53 JMD 558

13.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$11.42 JMD 1,804

13.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$6.34 JMD 1,002

22.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$10.17 JMD 1,607

74.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$6.07 JMD 959

-62.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$3.82 JMD 603

-54.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$7.56 JMD 1,195

-75.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.97 JMD 469

-12.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.23 JMD 510

-43.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.03 JMD 321

-2.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.13 JMD 494

-53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.46 JMD 230

-50.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$9.58 JMD 1,513

-31.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$11.44 JMD 1,807

-50.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.88 JMD 456

-52.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.91 JMD 617

-45.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$1.28 JMD 203

200.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$3.11 JMD 491

-65.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$6.21 JMD 980

165.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.41 JMD 223

56.03%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$44.0K JMD 7.0M

-22.36%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

19.06%

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

$161 €144

$171 JMD 27.0K

-5.59%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$28.96 JMD 4,575

-36.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$52.6 JMD 8,314

-37.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$13.32 JMD 2,105

-27.93%

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

$668 €596

$360 JMD 56.9K

85.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

110.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$23.26 JMD 3,674

338.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$31.95 JMD 5,048

39.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

24.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$104 JMD 16.5K

18.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$624 JMD 98.6K

350.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$513 JMD 81.1K

292.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$1,178 JMD 186.0K

33.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

9.45

-59.26%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Spanish Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Spanish Town

$383 38% 40.8% $111

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Spanish Town

$222 22% 8.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Spanish Town

$252 25% 18.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Spanish Town

$107 10.6% 35.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6% 58.2% $37

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7% 73.4% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays 34% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $74 in Spanish Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $383 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

131,056

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Spanish Town 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Spanish Town

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 Spanish Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,009 in Spanish Town, so Spanish Town is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 29% 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 $1,009 in Spanish Town – Spanish Town is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Spanish Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Spanish Town wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.