Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $891 in Tena.

Lisbon $2,206
Tena $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,475 in Tena.

Lisbon $3,276
Tena $1,475

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,060 in Tena.

Lisbon $4,346
Tena $2,060

Living in Lisbon is roughly 148% more expensive than in Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Tena is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.08

$5.63 $5.63

199.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.6

$54.8 $54.8

11.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.82

$7.58 $7.58

44.85%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.73

$3.34 $3.34

-8.68%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.43 $1.43

59.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.05 $1.05

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.43 $3.43

0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

$6.12 $6.12

-36.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.14 $1.14

0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.60 $1.60

18.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.51 $1.51

-0.66%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$2.08 $2.08

98.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.63

$6.51 $6.51

99.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.19

$5.42 $5.42

48.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.00

$7.67 $7.67

133.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.33 $2.33

-2.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.22 $1.22

42.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.27 $1.27

43.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.13 $1.13

138.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.19 $1.19

48.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.08 $1.08

79.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.87 $0.87

67.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.00 $1.00

-24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

$5.93 $5.93

12.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$8.27 $8.27

-31.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.58 $1.58

-18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.10 $3.10

-30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.33 $0.33

596.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.36

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$1.53 $1.53

160.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.75 $0.75

-14.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.92

$9.91 $9.91

91.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.86 $0.86

165.12%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$23.4K $23.4K

42.73%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$30.1K $30.1K

27.95%

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

$158 €141

$28.50 $28.50

455.05%

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

$17.54 €15.68

$17.84 $17.84

-1.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.89

$28.34 $28.34

10.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.92

$29.89 $29.89

49.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

$16.69 $16.69

13.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.56

$6.50 $6.50

47.38%

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

$674 €602

$729 $729

-7.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$9,064 $9,064

106.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$71.3 $71.3

43.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.04

$50.4 $50.4

-8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.4

$116 $116

-11.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$109 $109

11.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,467

$422 $422

288.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,062

$270 $270

338.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,526

$802 $802

252.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,805

$507 $507

298.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,007

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,204

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

10.12

-62.25%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tena: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tena

$270 30.4% 77.2% $917

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Tena

$193 21.7% 29.7% $82

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Tena

$147 16.5% 40% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Tena

$75 8.4% 63.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Tena

$156 17.5% 6.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tena

$43 4.8% 32.8% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7% 89% $54

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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $422 in Tena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $55 in Tena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $193 per month, with Tena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

16,669

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Tena 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $891 in Tena, so Tena is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,336 in Tena 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $422 in Tena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $891 in Tena – Tena is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $891 in Tena versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tena but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tena 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 Tena are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.