Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Upala

For one person, living is cheaper in Upala: $1,439 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Upala
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Upala Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Upala

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Upala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,439 in Upala.

Lisbon $2,210
Upala $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,252 in Upala.

Lisbon $3,275
Upala $2,252

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,065 in Upala.

Lisbon $4,341
Upala $3,065

Living in Lisbon is roughly 54% more expensive than in Upala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Upala 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$12.38 ₡5,565

34.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

14.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$11.47 ₡5,158

-0.96%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$3.67 ₡1,650

-19.07%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.75 ₡786

30.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.75 ₡786

-0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$3.38 ₡1,519

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.42 ₡1,989

-25.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.18 ₡980

-46.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.62 ₡730

17.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.40 ₡1,081

-37.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$2.70 ₡1,212

48.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$3.32 ₡1,492

289.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$6.75 ₡3,035

15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$8.80 ₡3,959

101.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.73 ₡780

32.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.67 ₡302

158.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.89 ₡1,301

-35.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.71 ₡1,218

-4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.72 ₡1,673

-51.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.72 ₡1,221

-27.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.12 ₡506

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.59 ₡1,163

-72.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

$5.76 ₡2,591

14.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$8.83 ₡3,973

-36.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.69 ₡1,208

-49.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.53 ₡1,589

-39.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.45 ₡652

60.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$2.37 ₡1,065

62.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.54 ₡694

-30.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

$6.44 ₡2,895

155.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.42 ₡641

54.93%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$33.6K ₡15.1M

1.70%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$41.4K ₡18.6M

-6.49%

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

$161 €144

$56.9 ₡25.6K

183.44%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$35.83 ₡16.1K

-48.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$22.24 ₡10.0K

47.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$66.5 ₡29.9K

-33.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$7.78 ₡3,499

23.39%

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

$668 €596

$969 ₡435.8K

-31.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

4.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$32.78 ₡14.7K

211.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

$22.09 ₡9,936

101.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$131 ₡58.7K

-24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$33.23 ₡14.9K

272.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$858 ₡386.0K

87.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$654 ₡294.3K

81.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$1,766 ₡794.4K

59.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$1,218 ₡547.9K

65.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Upala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Upala

$654 45.5% 45% $536

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Upala

$257 17.8% 5.8% $16

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Upala

$217 15.1% 10.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Upala

$115 8% 45.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Upala

$98 6.8% 40.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Upala

$82 5.7% 28.7% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Upala

$16 * 1.1% 74.9% $47

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $858 in Upala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $54 in Upala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $257 per month, with Upala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Upala

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

21:32 9:32 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

15,000

💱 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Upala 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Upala

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 Upala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,439 in Upala, so Upala is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,159 in Upala 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $858 in Upala. 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 $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,439 in Upala – Upala is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Upala 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.