Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puntarenas and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Puntarenas: $1,019 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Puntarenas
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Puntarenas Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Puntarenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,019

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,019 in Puntarenas versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Puntarenas $1,019
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,582 in Puntarenas versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Puntarenas $1,582
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,145 in Puntarenas versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Puntarenas $2,145
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Puntarenas costs roughly 54% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Puntarenas is 25% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.14 ₡3,673

$16.65 €14.92

-51.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.71 ₡17.9K

$61.7 €55.3

-35.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 ₡4,365

$11.36 €10.18

-14.88%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,996

$2.97 €2.66

48.82%

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

$2.61 ₡1,177

$2.29 €2.05

13.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡841

$1.74 €1.56

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,465

$3.40 €3.05

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,040

$3.31 €2.97

36.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡920

$1.16 €1.04

75.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,435

$1.91 €1.71

66.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 ₡872

$1.51 €1.36

27.81%

Eggs

$2.92 ₡1,317

$4.02 €3.60

-27.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.13 ₡2,769

$12.94 €11.59

-52.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.48 ₡3,377

$7.77 €6.97

-3.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.50 ₡5,642

$17.76 €15.92

-29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,753

$2.30 €2.06

68.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 ₡672

$1.73 €1.55

-13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₡1,064

$1.86 €1.66

26.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,100

$2.59 €2.32

-5.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,103

$1.82 €1.63

34.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,084

$1.97 €1.76

21.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 ₡404

$1.47 €1.32

-39.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,247

$0.72 €0.65

283.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,228

$6.58 €5.90

-24.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 ₡3,725

$5.61 €5.02

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₡799

$1.36 €1.22

30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₡1,040

$2.14 €1.91

7.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₡465

$2.33 €2.09

-55.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ₡999

$3.85 €3.45

-42.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.07 €0.96

5.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 ₡3,834

$16.46 €14.75

-48.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡688

$2.20 €1.97

-30.91%

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

$34.2K ₡15.4M

$34.2K €30.6K

0.07%

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

$18.6K ₡8.4M

$38.7K €34.7K

-51.84%

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

$54.5 ₡24.6K

$161 €144

-66.17%

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

$27.98 ₡12.6K

$18.41 €16.50

51.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.15 ₡18.6K

$32.74 €29.34

25.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.11 ₡11.8K

$44.55 €39.92

-41.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ₡3,491

$9.60 €8.60

-19.48%

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

$1,002 ₡452.1K

$668 €598

50.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.9M

$17.6K €15.8K

-1.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.17 ₡11.8K

$102 €91.4

-74.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.89 ₡8,078

$44.46 €39.85

-59.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.9K

$98.5 €88.3

30.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 ₡24.1K

$124 €111

-56.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 ₡161.8K

$1,608 €1,441

-77.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ₡115.6K

$1,190 €1,066

-78.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 ₡239.3K

$2,812 €2,520

-81.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ₡186.7K

$2,013 €1,804

-79.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$986 ₡445.3K

$7,839 €7,025

-87.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$661 ₡298.4K

$4,576 €4,100

-85.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$862 ₡389.2K

$1,575 €1,411

-45.26%

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 Puntarenas: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Puntarenas

$294 28.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 7.2% $21

Accommodation & Living

Puntarenas

$256 25.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 365% $934

Eating Out

Puntarenas

$190 18.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 27.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puntarenas

$124 12.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 71.7% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Puntarenas

$102 10%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 63.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Puntarenas

$42 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 53.3% $22

Getting Around

Puntarenas

$12 * 1.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 428% $51

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 $358 in Puntarenas and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 83% 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: $40 in Puntarenas vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Puntarenas

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

6 h ahead of Puntarenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

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 October 29, 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puntarenas Lisbon 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Puntarenas
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

Puntarenas vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,019 in Puntarenas and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Puntarenas is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Puntarenas. 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: $358 in Puntarenas 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 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,019 per month in Puntarenas versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Puntarenas is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Puntarenas 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.

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