Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tulcán

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcán: $890 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.

Lisbon, Portugal
Tulcán, Ecuador
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,206
/mo nomad
Tulcán
🇪🇨 Ecuador
$890
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tulcán

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $890 in Tulcán.

  • Lisbon $2,206
  • Tulcán $890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,479 in Tulcán.

  • Lisbon $3,276
  • Tulcán $1,479

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,067 in Tulcán.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Tulcán $2,067

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 €15.08
$5.46 $5.46
208.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 €54.6
$55.5 $55.5
9.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.98 €9.82
$7.77 $7.77
41.31%
Cappuccino
$3.05 €2.73
$3.41 $3.41
-10.56%
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
$3.59 $3.59
-4.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 €3.49
$6.09 $6.09
-35.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.09 $1.09
5.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 €1.69
$1.60 $1.60
18.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 €1.34
$1.57 $1.57
-4.46%
Eggs
$4.12 €3.68
$2.18 $2.18
88.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.01 €11.63
$6.34 $6.34
105.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.04 €7.19
$5.24 $5.24
53.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.89 €16.00
$7.67 $7.67
133.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.03
$2.31 $2.31
-1.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.24 $1.24
40.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.33 $1.33
36.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.69 €2.40
$1.08 $1.08
149.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 €1.58
$1.20 $1.20
47.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 €1.73
$1.07 $1.07
81.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$0.87 $0.87
67.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 €0.68
$1.03 $1.03
-26.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.66 €5.95
$6.02 $6.02
10.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.04
$8.59 $8.59
-34.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.52 $1.52
-15.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$3.10 $3.10
-30.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.30 €2.06
$0.34 $0.34
576.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.02 €39.36
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 €3.56
$1.51 $1.51
163.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 €0.57
$1.47 $1.47
-56.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.93 €16.92
$10.09 $10.09
87.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$0.87 $0.87
162.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K €29.8K
$23.5K $23.5K
42.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.4K
$30.2K $30.2K
27.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 €141
$28.34 $28.34
458.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.54 €15.68
$18.09 $18.09
-3.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.18 €27.89
$28.93 $28.93
7.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.64 €39.92
$29.41 $29.41
51.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.98 €16.97
$16.25 $16.25
16.80%
Cinema Ticket
$9.58 €8.56
$6.41 $6.41
49.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$674 €602
$744 $744
-9.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K €16.7K
$8,868 $8,868
111.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$70.4 $70.4
45.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.90 €41.04
$49.24 $49.24
-6.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.4
$116 $116
-12.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 €109
$107 $107
13.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,641 €1,467
$418 $418
292.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 €1,062
$268 $268
343.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,825 €2,526
$832 $832
239.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,018 €1,805
$508 $508
297.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,836 €7,007
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,701 €4,204
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Tulcán
Difference
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 Tulcán: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Tulcán
$268 77.5% $920
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$275
Tulcán
$192 29.9% $82
Eating Out
Lisbon
$245
Tulcán
$148 39.6% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$207
Tulcán
$75 63.6% $132
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Tulcán
$155 7.7% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Tulcán
$42 33.8% $22
Getting Around
Lisbon
$60
Tulcán
$10 * 83.1% $50

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 $418 in Tulcán. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $56 in Tulcán for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $192 per month, with Tulcán cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇪🇨 Tulcán
🕒 Local time
21:49 9:49 PM
16:49 4:49 PM
5 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
82,734
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Tulcán 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Tulcán

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 Tulcán: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Tulcán?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $890 in Tulcán, so Tulcán is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Tulcán?
You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,336 in Tulcán 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Tulcán?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $418 in Tulcán. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Tulcán?
All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $890 in Tulcán – Tulcán is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $890 in Tulcán versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tulcán but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcán the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Tulcán?
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.

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