Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tres Cantos

For one person, living is cheaper in Tres Cantos: $1,528 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Tres Cantos
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Tres Cantos Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Tres Cantos

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tres Cantos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,528 in Tres Cantos.

Lisbon $2,206
Tres Cantos $1,528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,352 in Tres Cantos.

Lisbon $3,276
Tres Cantos $2,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,176 in Tres Cantos.

Lisbon $4,346
Tres Cantos $3,176

Living in Lisbon is roughly 44% more expensive than in Tres Cantos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Tres Cantos 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.08

$15.95 €14.26

5.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.6

$49.24 €44.03

23.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.82

$11.00 €9.84

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.73

$2.30 €2.06

32.61%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$2.49 €2.22

-8.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.61 €1.44

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$2.97 €2.65

15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

$3.49 €3.12

12.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.21 €1.08

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.60 €1.43

18.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.37 €1.23

9.49%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$3.15 €2.81

30.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.63

$14.47 €12.94

-10.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.19

$8.23 €7.36

-2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.00

$17.19 €15.37

4.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.31 €2.07

-1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.76 €1.58

-1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.23 €1.99

-18.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.92 €2.61

-7.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.00 €1.78

-11.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.87 €1.67

3.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.29 €1.15

13.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.67 €0.60

13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

$5.88 €5.26

13.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$5.57 €4.98

1.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.26 €1.13

2.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.06 €1.84

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.76 €1.57

30.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.36

$33.87 €30.29

29.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$3.89 €3.47

2.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.22 €1.09

-47.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.92

$24.09 €21.54

-21.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.81 €1.62

25.97%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$38.4K €34.3K

-13.01%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$32.8K €29.3K

17.51%

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

$158 €141

$137 €123

15.06%

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

$17.54 €15.68

$16.48 €14.73

6.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.89

$26.50 €23.70

17.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.92

$43.91 €39.26

1.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

$15.47 €13.84

22.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.56

$8.58 €7.67

11.66%

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

$674 €602

$508 €454

32.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$9,119 €8,154

105.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$78.1 €69.8

30.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.04

$34.22 €30.60

34.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.4

$81.7 €73.0

25.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$120 €107

1.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,467

$1,026 €917

59.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,062

$595 €532

99.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,526

$1,356 €1,213

108.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,805

$1,068 €955

89.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,007

$3,498 €3,128

123.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,204

$1,913 €1,711

145.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

$3,191 €2,853

-47.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.3

15.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tres Cantos: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tres Cantos

$595 39% 49.9% $592

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Tres Cantos

$272 17.8% 0.8% $2.1

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Tres Cantos

$226 14.8% 7.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Tres Cantos

$180 11.8% 12.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Tres Cantos

$141 9.2% 15.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tres Cantos

$61 4% 4.3% $2.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Tres Cantos

$51 3.3% 15.8% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,026 in Tres Cantos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tres Cantos pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $49 in Tres Cantos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $272 per month, with Tres Cantos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Tres Cantos

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

51,453

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Tres Cantos 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 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 Tres Cantos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,528 in Tres Cantos, so Tres Cantos is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,026 in Tres Cantos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tres Cantos runs roughly 23% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $1,528 in Tres Cantos – Tres Cantos is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tres Cantos 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Tres Cantos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.