Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rota and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rota: $1,657 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.

79

Cost of Living Index in Rota
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Rota Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rota

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,657

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,657 in Rota versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Rota $1,657
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,448 in Rota versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Rota $2,448
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,240 in Rota versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Rota $3,240
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Rota costs roughly 25% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.95 €15.18

$16.65 €14.91

1.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 €56.2

$61.7 €55.3

1.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.31 €11.02

$11.36 €10.17

8.36%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.97

$2.97 €2.66

-25.93%

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

$2.71 €2.43

$2.29 €2.05

18.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.74 €1.56

9.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.09

$3.40 €3.05

1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.13

$3.31 €2.96

39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.16 €1.04

1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.91 €1.71

-24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.51 €1.35

17.22%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.98

$4.02 €3.60

-17.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 €13.87

$12.94 €11.59

19.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.16

$7.77 €6.96

2.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 €13.65

$17.76 €15.91

-14.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.30 €2.06

11.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.73 €1.55

13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.86 €1.66

-5.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.59 €2.32

-1.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.82 €1.63

-10.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.97 €1.76

5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.47 €1.32

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.72 €0.65

-1.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 €5.77

$6.58 €5.90

-2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.57 €5.89

$5.61 €5.02

17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.36 €1.22

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.14 €1.91

8.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.33 €2.09

-28.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.10 €28.75

$44.68 €40.01

-28.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 €1.72

$3.85 €3.45

-50.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.07 €0.96

14.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.49 €20.14

$16.46 €14.74

36.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.20 €1.97

-18.64%

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

$33.6K €30.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

-1.77%

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

$31.3K €28.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

-19.18%

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

$165 €147

$161 €144

2.15%

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

$10.89 €9.75

$18.41 €16.49

-40.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.02 €22.41

$32.74 €29.32

-23.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.69 €40.03

$44.55 €39.90

0.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.51 €13.89

$19.10 €17.10

-18.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 €8.49

$9.60 €8.60

-1.25%

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

$856 €766

$668 €598

28.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,996 €8,952

$17.6K €15.8K

-43.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €80.1

$102 €91.4

-12.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.64 €34.60

$44.46 €39.82

-13.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 €75.9

$98.5 €88.2

-13.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €95.0

$124 €111

-14.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 €790

$1,608 €1,440

-45.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 €617

$1,190 €1,066

-42.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,215

$2,812 €2,519

-51.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 €916

$2,013 €1,803

-49.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,235 €2,897

$7,839 €7,021

-58.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,227 €1,994

$4,576 €4,098

-51.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.85

-14.55%

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

Last update for Rota: 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

Rota

$688 41.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 72.9% $502

Groceries & Markets

Rota

$270 16.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 1% $2.7

Eating Out

Rota

$244 14.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 0.6% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rota

$201 12.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 5.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Rota

$143 8.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 15.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rota

$64 3.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Rota

$47 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 34.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $882 in Rota and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63 in Rota vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $270 vs $272, with Rota cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Rota

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h behind Rota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,675

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Rota vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,657 in Rota and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Rota is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,485 in Rota 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: $882 in Rota versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $856 in Rota versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,657 per month in Rota versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Rota is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,657 in Rota versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rota but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rota 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, Rota and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.