Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tarragona

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarragona: $1,774 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Tarragona
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Tarragona Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Tarragona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tarragona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,774 in Tarragona.

Lisbon $2,210
Tarragona $1,774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,602 in Tarragona.

Lisbon $3,275
Tarragona $2,602

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,429 in Tarragona.

Lisbon $4,341
Tarragona $3,429

Living in Lisbon is roughly 25% more expensive than in Tarragona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Tarragona 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$17.82 €15.97

-6.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$60.0 €53.8

2.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$9.19 €8.23

23.61%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.42 €2.17

22.73%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.50 €2.24

-8.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.97 €1.77

-11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.25 €2.91

4.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.93 €3.52

-15.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.26 €1.13

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.97 €1.76

-3.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.47 €1.32

2.72%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.40 €3.04

18.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.30 €11.92

-2.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.50 €9.41

-26.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$14.50 €13.00

22.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.84 €2.54

-19.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.45 €2.20

-29.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.80 €2.51

-33.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.58 €2.31

0.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.54 €1.38

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.89 €1.70

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.50 €1.34

-2.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.68 €0.61

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.63 €5.94

-0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.00 €4.48

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.97 €1.77

-30.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.83 €1.64

16.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.70 €1.52

37.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$27.24 €24.41

64.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.98 €3.57

-3.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.52 €1.36

-29.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$21.90 €19.63

-24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.81 €1.62

21.55%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.8K €32.0K

-4.40%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$29.4K €26.4K

31.65%

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

$161 €144

$128 €114

26.44%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$23.01 €20.62

-19.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$34.52 €30.93

-5.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$60.4 €54.2

-26.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$23.62 €21.16

-19.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.95 €8.02

7.26%

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

$668 €598

$320 €287

108.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$103 €91.9

-0.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$32.90 €29.48

35.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$80.9 €72.5

21.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$89.0 €79.7

39.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$911 €817

76.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$799 €716

48.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,222 €1,095

130.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,168 €1,047

72.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,704 €2,423

189.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,289 €1,155

255.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,024 €1,814

-22.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.02

27.48%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tarragona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tarragona

$799 45.1% 32.8% $391

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Tarragona

$287 16.2% 5.3% $14

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Tarragona

$241 13.6% 0.6% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Tarragona

$185 10.4% 12.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Tarragona

$137 7.7% 17.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tarragona

$78 4.4% 22.9% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Tarragona

$46 2.6% 27.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $911 in Tarragona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tarragona pays 29% 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 $60 in Tarragona. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $287, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Tarragona

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

138,262

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Tarragona 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Tarragona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,774 in Tarragona, so Tarragona is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $911 in Tarragona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $320 in Tarragona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,774 in Tarragona versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tarragona but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tarragona 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 Tarragona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.