Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,317 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perez Zeledon and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Perez Zeledon and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,317 in Perez Zeledon versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Perez Zeledon $1,317
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Perez Zeledon versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Perez Zeledon $2,364
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,410 in Perez Zeledon versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Perez Zeledon $3,410
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Perez Zeledon costs roughly 40% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perez Zeledon is 3% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.09 ₡4,102

$16.65 €14.91

-45.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.24 ₡16.8K

$61.7 €55.3

-39.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 ₡3,699

$11.36 €10.17

-27.90%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,217

$2.97 €2.66

-9.09%

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

$1.97 ₡887

$2.29 €2.05

-13.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₡805

$1.74 €1.56

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ₡780

$3.40 €3.05

-49.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,447

$3.31 €2.96

-3.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.16 €1.04

37.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,413

$1.91 €1.71

63.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$1.51 €1.35

64.90%

Eggs

$2.49 ₡1,126

$4.02 €3.60

-38.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,846

$12.94 €11.59

-17.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,639

$7.77 €6.96

32.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 ₡6,384

$17.76 €15.91

-20.38%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ₡2,365

$2.30 €2.06

127.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.73 €1.55

-37.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,206

$1.86 €1.66

162.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,737

$2.59 €2.32

48.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,680

$1.82 €1.63

104.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,622

$1.97 €1.76

82.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₡205

$1.47 €1.32

-69.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$0.72 €0.65

329.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$6.58 €5.90

-15.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.80 ₡8,937

$5.61 €5.02

252.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,297

$1.36 €1.22

111.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,638

$2.14 €1.91

69.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ₡364

$2.33 €2.09

-65.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,126

$3.85 €3.45

-35.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡737

$1.07 €0.96

52.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,955

$16.46 €14.74

-46.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡688

$2.20 €1.97

-30.91%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$34.2K €30.6K

-1.28%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$38.7K €34.7K

8.74%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$161 €144

-41.96%

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

$23.99 ₡10.8K

$18.41 €16.49

30.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.7K

$32.74 €29.32

80.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 ₡30.7K

$44.55 €39.90

52.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,464

$9.60 €8.60

-20.10%

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

$498 ₡224.8K

$668 €598

-25.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$17.6K €15.8K

-1.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$102 €91.4

-29.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.8K

$44.46 €39.82

23.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$98.5 €88.2

29.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$124 €111

7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₡181.3K

$1,608 €1,440

-75.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ₡147.1K

$1,190 €1,066

-72.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 ₡963.0K

$2,812 €2,519

-24.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 ₡568.7K

$2,013 €1,803

-37.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 28.9% $111

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 265% $864

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 20.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 4.9% $8.5

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 51.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 23.5% $20

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 355% $49

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 $402 in Perez Zeledon and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Perez Zeledon vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

00:06 12:06 AM

6 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Perez Zeledon Lisbon 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
Lisbon

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

Perez Zeledon vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,317 in Perez Zeledon and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Perez Zeledon is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,975 in Perez Zeledon and $3,315 in Lisbon 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: $402 in Perez Zeledon versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,317 per month in Perez Zeledon versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Perez Zeledon is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,317 in Perez Zeledon versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Perez Zeledon but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Perez Zeledon 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.