Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tibas

For one person, living is cheaper in Tibas: $1,710 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Tibas
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Tibas Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Tibas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tibas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,710 in Tibas.

Lisbon $2,206
Tibas $1,710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,659 in Tibas.

Lisbon $3,276
Tibas $2,659

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,607 in Tibas.

Lisbon $4,346
Tibas $3,607

Living in Lisbon is roughly 29% more expensive than in Tibas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Tibas 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$12.33 ₡5,554

36.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$33.58 ₡15.1K

81.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$10.96 ₡4,933

0.18%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$3.81 ₡1,715

-19.95%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.36 ₡1,064

-3.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.93 ₡869

-12.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.70 ₡1,217

27.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$4.53 ₡2,040

-13.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.39 ₡1,078

-51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.07 ₡1,382

-38.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.47 ₡1,114

-39.27%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$3.52 ₡1,586

17.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$10.65 ₡4,797

22.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$10.45 ₡4,704

-23.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$13.84 ₡6,231

29.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.18 ₡2,334

-56.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.59 ₡714

9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$4.73 ₡2,130

-61.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.93 ₡1,769

-31.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$3.78 ₡1,701

-53.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$3.69 ₡1,661

-47.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.07 ₡482

36.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$3.12 ₡1,405

-75.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$5.82 ₡2,621

14.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$19.81 ₡8,921

-71.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.75 ₡1,238

-53.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.64 ₡1,641

-41.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.29 ₡581

78.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$2.38 ₡1,072

67.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.57 ₡709

-59.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

$8.59 ₡3,869

120.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.58 ₡711

44.30%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$33.7K ₡15.2M

-0.95%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$42.1K ₡18.9M

-8.43%

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

$158 €141

$93.9 ₡42.3K

68.45%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$36.26 ₡16.3K

-51.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-48.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$67.7 ₡30.5K

-34.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$7.57 ₡3,407

26.55%

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

$674 €600

$977 ₡439.8K

-31.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

7.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$71.2 ₡32.1K

43.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$55.6 ₡25.1K

-17.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$131 ₡59.2K

-22.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$131 ₡58.9K

-6.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$795 ₡358.2K

106.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$630 ₡283.8K

88.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$1,934 ₡870.8K

46.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$1,287 ₡579.7K

56.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

$1,000 ₡450.5K

68.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

8.62

-55.68%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tibas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tibas

$630 36.9% 46.9% $557

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Tibas

$399 23.4% 45.5% $125

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Tibas

$217 12.7% 11.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Tibas

$190 11.1% 8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Tibas

$175 10.2% 4.5% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tibas

$83 4.8% 29.8% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Tibas

$15 * 0.9% 74.5% $45

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 $795 in Tibas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 69% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $34 in Tibas. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $399, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Tibas

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

20:33 8:33 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

64,842

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Tibas 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Tibas

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 Tibas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,710 in Tibas, so Tibas is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $795 in Tibas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $1,710 in Tibas – Tibas is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,710 in Tibas versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tibas but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tibas 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.

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