Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Vilagarcia de Arousa

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa: $1,121 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Vilagarcia de Arousa
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Vilagarcia de Arousa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Vilagarcia de Arousa

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Vilagarcia de Arousa

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 Vilagarcia de Arousa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Lisbon $2,206
Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,664 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Lisbon $3,276
Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,664

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,206 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Lisbon $4,346
Vilagarcia de Arousa $2,206

Living in Lisbon is roughly 97% more expensive than in Vilagarcia de Arousa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Vilagarcia de Arousa is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$8.72 €7.76

93.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$37.72 €33.57

61.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$9.19 €8.18

19.48%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$1.79 €1.59

70.39%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.46 €2.19

-7.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.58 €1.41

6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.39 €2.13

43.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$3.38 €3.01

15.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.00 €0.89

15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.32 €1.18

43.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.73 €1.54

-13.29%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$3.05 €2.71

35.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$6.63 €5.90

96.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$7.20 €6.41

11.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$8.33 €7.42

114.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.52 €2.24

-9.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.77 €2.46

-37.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.36 €2.10

-22.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.29 €2.04

17.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.07 €1.85

-14.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.51 €2.23

-22.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.51 €1.34

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.69 €0.62

10.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$4.92 €4.38

35.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$4.37 €3.89

29.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.08 €0.96

19.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.01 €1.79

6.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.56 €1.39

47.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$19.24 €17.12

128.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$4.78 €4.25

-16.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.21 €1.08

-47.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$19.13 €17.03

-1.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.74 €1.55

31.03%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$35.2K €31.3K

-5.16%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$31.0K €27.6K

24.32%

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

$158 €141

$151 €134

4.97%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$16.34 €14.54

7.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$30.37 €27.03

2.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$28.00 €24.92

59.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$15.32 €13.63

23.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$8.31 €7.39

15.28%

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

$674 €599

$271 €241

148.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$9,678 €8,612

93.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$72.1 €64.2

41.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$30.46 €27.10

50.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$71.7 €63.8

42.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$132 €117

-7.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$540 €480

204.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$335 €298

254.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$770 €685

266.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$499 €444

304.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$1,433 €1,275

446.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$846 €753

455.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

$2,288 €2,036

-26.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.58

6.70%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vilagarcia de Arousa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$335 29.9% 71.8% $853

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$217 19.4% 20.9% $57

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$154 13.7% 37.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$197 17.6% 4.6% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$138 12.3% 17.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$45 4% 30.1% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$36 3.2% 39.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilagarcia de Arousa pays 36% 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 $38 in Vilagarcia de Arousa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $217 per month, with Vilagarcia de Arousa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Vilagarcia de Arousa

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

37,689

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Vilagarcia de Arousa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa, so Vilagarcia de Arousa is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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 $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $271 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Vilagarcia de Arousa 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 Vilagarcia de Arousa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Vilagarcia de Arousa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.