Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Torrevieja

For one person, living is cheaper in Torrevieja: $1,438 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Torrevieja
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Torrevieja Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Torrevieja

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Torrevieja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,438 in Torrevieja.

Lisbon $2,223
Torrevieja $1,438

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,060 in Torrevieja.

Lisbon $3,271
Torrevieja $2,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,682 in Torrevieja.

Lisbon $4,319
Torrevieja $2,682

Living in Lisbon is roughly 55% more expensive than in Torrevieja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Torrevieja 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$15.10 €13.43

9.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$44.13 €39.25

38.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.90 €8.80

13.84%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.25 €2.00

36.00%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.14 €1.91

5.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.89 €1.68

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.30 €2.94

2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.85 €2.54

19.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.39 €1.23

33.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.37 €1.22

11.68%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.26 €2.90

21.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$14.19 €12.62

-10.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.38 €6.56

7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$21.42 €19.05

-20.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.05 €1.82

10.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.60 €1.42

9.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.26 €1.12

46.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.06 €1.83

24.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.10 €0.98

69.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.16 €1.03

74.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.23 €1.10

17.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.42 €0.37

95.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.94 €5.28

10.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.40 €3.91

27.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.87 €0.77

47.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.32 €1.17

56.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.71 €1.52

37.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.01 €2.68

-63.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$33.63 €29.91

-50.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.75 €1.55

30.29%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$35.5K €31.6K

-5.09%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$28.8K €25.6K

36.62%

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

$167 €149

$111 €99.1

50.38%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$9.32 €8.29

101.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$23.18 €20.61

42.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$37.83 €33.65

21.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$5.08 €4.52

277.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$9.04 €8.04

8.85%

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

$677 €602

$491 €437

37.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$18.2K €16.1K

-6.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$39.48 €35.12

156.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$33.81 €30.08

35.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$68.0 €60.5

47.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$67.8 €60.3

81.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$708 €629

128.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$652 €580

83.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,233 €1,097

132.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$884 €786

125.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,877 €2,559

163.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,661 €2,367

61.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,920 €1,708

-17.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.9

32.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Torrevieja: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Torrevieja

$652 45.4% 45.5% $545

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Torrevieja

$254 17.7% 5.8% $16

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Torrevieja

$216 15% 10.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Torrevieja

$144 10% 34.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Torrevieja

$94 6.5% 43.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Torrevieja

$56 3.9% 14.9% $9.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Torrevieja

$22 * 1.5% 65.2% $41

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $708 in Torrevieja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Torrevieja pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $44.00 in Torrevieja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $254 per month, with Torrevieja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Torrevieja

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

89,290

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Torrevieja 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Torrevieja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Torrevieja differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,438 including rent). Torrevieja is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Torrevieja. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $708 in Torrevieja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,438 in Torrevieja – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,438 in Torrevieja versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Torrevieja but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Torrevieja 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 Torrevieja are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Torrevieja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.