Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zaragoza, El Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $635 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zaragoza

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zaragoza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $635 in Zaragoza.

Lisbon $2,210
Zaragoza $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,036 in Zaragoza.

Lisbon $3,275
Zaragoza $1,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,437 in Zaragoza.

Lisbon $4,341
Zaragoza $1,437

Living in Lisbon is roughly 248% more expensive than in Zaragoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zaragoza is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$6.95 $6.95

139.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$29.51 $29.51

109.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$6.96 $6.96

63.22%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.54 $1.54

92.86%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.11 $1.11

106.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.81 $0.81

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.24 $1.24

174.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.12 $2.12

56.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.78 $1.78

-34.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.27 $2.27

-15.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.97 $0.97

55.67%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.50 $2.50

60.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.49 $7.49

72.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$3.92 $3.92

98.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$5.36 $5.36

231.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.99 $3.99

-42.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.42 $1.42

21.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.58 $2.58

-27.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.14 $2.14

21.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.96 $2.96

-38.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.82 $1.82

8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.96 $0.96

53.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.79 $0.79

-8.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.77 $3.77

74.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.20 $8.20

-31.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.60 $1.60

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.21 $2.21

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.48 $1.48

57.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.90 $4.90

-21.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.93 $2.93

-63.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$20.10 $20.10

-18.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.12 $1.12

96.43%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$24.8K $24.8K

38.02%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$24.6K $24.6K

57.21%

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

$161 €145

$46.09 $46.09

249.79%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$21.21 $21.21

-13.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$35.34 $35.34

-7.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$34.94 $34.94

27.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$5.03 $5.03

90.85%

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

$668 €600

$150 $150

344.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,759 $4,759

270.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$67.3 $67.3

51.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$46.68 $46.68

-4.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$112 $112

-11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$69.5 $69.5

77.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.5

-54.71%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zaragoza: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zaragoza

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zaragoza

$217 34.1% 20.5% $56

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zaragoza

$113 17.8% 53.4% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zaragoza

$103 16.2% 51.7% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zaragoza

$133 20.9% 20% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zaragoza

$45 7.1% 29.4% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zaragoza

$25 * 4% 59.7% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $30 in Zaragoza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $217 per month, with Zaragoza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇻 Zaragoza

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

07:04 7:04 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

11,749

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zaragoza 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Zaragoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zaragoza differ by about 248% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $635 including rent). Zaragoza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $953 in Zaragoza 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% 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 $635 in Zaragoza – a 248% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $635 in Zaragoza versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza 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.