Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ponta Delgada and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ponta Delgada: $1,660 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Ponta Delgada
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Ponta Delgada Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,660

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ponta Delgada 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 Ponta Delgada and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Ponta Delgada $1,660
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Ponta Delgada versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Ponta Delgada $2,363
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,067 in Ponta Delgada versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Ponta Delgada $3,067
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Ponta Delgada costs roughly 25% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ponta Delgada 22% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.61 €12.23

$16.65 €14.95

-18.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 €40.27

$61.7 €55.5

-27.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 €9.63

$11.36 €10.20

-5.63%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.65

$2.97 €2.67

-38.05%

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

$1.83 €1.65

$2.29 €2.06

-20.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.66

$1.74 €1.56

5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 €2.83

$3.40 €3.06

-7.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 €3.23

$3.31 €2.97

8.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 €0.84

$1.16 €1.04

-19.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.91 €1.72

-17.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.51 €1.36

18.54%

Eggs

$3.09 €2.77

$4.02 €3.61

-23.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €15.07

$12.94 €11.62

29.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 €10.20

$7.77 €6.98

46.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 €15.34

$17.76 €15.95

-3.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 €2.10

$2.30 €2.07

1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.73 €1.56

-4.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.86 €1.67

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 €2.78

$2.59 €2.33

19.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.82 €1.64

-15.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.97 €1.77

-17.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.47 €1.32

90.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.72 €0.65

48.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 €4.60

$6.58 €5.91

-22.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.79 €5.20

$5.61 €5.04

3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$1.36 €1.22

73.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.81

$2.14 €1.92

46.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.33 €2.10

-28.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 €50.4

$44.68 €40.14

25.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 €4.95

$3.85 €3.46

43.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.07 €0.96

32.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €5.15

$16.46 €14.79

-65.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.78

$2.20 €1.98

-10.00%

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

$33.7K €30.3K

$34.2K €30.7K

-1.47%

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

$39.1K €35.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

1.06%

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

$143 €128

$161 €145

-11.34%

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

$18.68 €16.78

$18.41 €16.54

1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.32 €38.91

$32.74 €29.41

32.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.39 €29.99

$44.55 €40.02

-25.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.50 €17.52

$19.10 €17.16

2.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 €8.30

$9.60 €8.62

-3.75%

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

$285 €256

$668 €600

-57.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,594 €5,923

$17.6K €15.8K

-62.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.31 €42.50

$102 €91.6

-53.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.91 €30.47

$44.46 €39.94

-23.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.9 €59.2

$98.5 €88.5

-33.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$124 €111

10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,034

$1,608 €1,445

-28.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €619

$1,190 €1,069

-42.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,259

$2,812 €2,526

-50.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €837

$2,013 €1,808

-53.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,033 €3,623

$7,839 €7,042

-48.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,977 €2,674

$4,576 €4,110

-34.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,387 €1,246

$1,575 €1,415

-11.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.85

-3.64%

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

Last update for Ponta Delgada: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ponta Delgada

$689 41.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 72.8% $501

Groceries & Markets

Ponta Delgada

$310 18.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 12.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ponta Delgada

$205 12.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 3.6% $7.4

Eating Out

Ponta Delgada

$201 12.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 20.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Ponta Delgada

$128 7.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 30.1% $38

Getting Around

Ponta Delgada

$75 4.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 16.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ponta Delgada

$52 3.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 22.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,152 in Ponta Delgada and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 14% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45 in Ponta Delgada vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Ponta Delgada

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

13:04 1:04 PM

1 h ahead of Ponta Delgada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,233

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ponta Delgada Lisbon 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ponta Delgada
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

Ponta Delgada vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ponta Delgada and Lisbon differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,660 vs $2,210 including rent). Ponta Delgada is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Ponta Delgada. 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: $1,152 in Ponta Delgada versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $285 in Ponta Delgada versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,660 in Ponta Delgada versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ponta Delgada but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ponta Delgada 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.

Safety-wise, Ponta Delgada and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Ponta Delgada wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.