Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zaragoza

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $1,737 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Zaragoza

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,737

/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 $1,737 in Zaragoza.

Lisbon $2,210
Zaragoza $1,737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,510 in Zaragoza.

Lisbon $3,275
Zaragoza $2,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,283 in Zaragoza.

Lisbon $4,341
Zaragoza $3,283

Living in Lisbon is roughly 27% more expensive than in Zaragoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zaragoza 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$16.53 €14.85

0.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$55.6 €49.93

11.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.08 €9.95

2.53%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.01 €1.80

47.76%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.33 €2.09

-1.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.54 €1.38

12.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.32 €2.98

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.29 €2.95

0.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.22 €1.10

-4.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.97 €1.77

-3.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.54 €1.39

-1.95%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.79 €2.51

44.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$16.35 €14.69

-20.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$8.97 €8.05

-13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$20.74 €18.63

-14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.62 €2.35

-12.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.42 €2.17

-28.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.51 €2.26

-25.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.06 €2.75

-15.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.95 €1.75

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.28 €2.05

-13.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.78 €1.60

-17.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.69 €0.62

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.22 €5.59

5.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.40 €3.95

27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.92 €0.83

47.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.26 €2.93

-34.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.95 €1.75

19.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$32.65 €29.33

36.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.39 €2.15

61.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.03 €0.92

3.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$29.70 €26.68

-44.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.79 €1.61

22.91%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$35.6K €32.0K

-3.95%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$32.0K €28.7K

21.03%

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

$161 €145

$160 €144

0.61%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$11.25 €10.10

63.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$21.56 €19.37

51.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$33.32 €29.93

33.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$14.60 €13.11

30.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.11 €8.18

5.38%

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

$668 €600

$494 €443

35.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,931 €7,124

122.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$92.3 €82.9

10.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$38.33 €34.43

15.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$96.6 €86.8

1.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$113 €101

9.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$917 €824

75.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$760 €682

56.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,302 €1,169

116.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,050 €943

91.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,350 €3,009

134.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,960 €1,761

133.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,020 €1,815

-22.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.46

11.27%

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

$760 43.7% 36.2% $430

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Zaragoza

$304 17.5% 11.7% $32

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Zaragoza

$228 13.1% 5.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Zaragoza

$193 11.1% 9.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zaragoza

$153 8.8% 7.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zaragoza

$52 3% 19.2% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zaragoza

$48 2.8% 24.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $917 in Zaragoza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zaragoza pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $56 in Zaragoza. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $304, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Zaragoza

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

23:59 11:59 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

682,513

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zaragoza 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Zaragoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,737 in Zaragoza, so Zaragoza is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $917 in Zaragoza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $494 in Zaragoza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Zaragoza gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Zaragoza are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.