Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salamanca, Spain and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Salamanca: $1,436 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Salamanca
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Salamanca Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Salamanca

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,436

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,436 in Salamanca versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Salamanca $1,436
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Salamanca versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Salamanca $2,417
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,399 in Salamanca versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Salamanca $3,399
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Salamanca costs roughly 35% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Salamanca 5% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.81 €13.27

$16.65 €14.91

-11.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.8

$61.7 €55.3

-8.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.15 €9.09

$11.36 €10.17

-10.65%

Cappuccino

$2.37 €2.13

$2.97 €2.66

-20.20%

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

$1.98 €1.77

$2.29 €2.05

-13.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.74 €1.56

-34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 €2.76

$3.40 €3.05

-9.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.66

$3.31 €2.96

-10.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.16 €1.04

14.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.91 €1.71

-36.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.51 €1.35

17.22%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.27

$4.02 €3.60

-9.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 €11.22

$12.94 €11.59

-3.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.11

$7.77 €6.96

2.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 €13.46

$17.76 €15.91

-15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.30 €2.06

-23.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.73 €1.55

-16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.99

$1.86 €1.66

79.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 €1.75

$2.59 €2.32

-24.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.82 €1.63

-26.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.97 €1.76

-6.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.47 €1.32

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.39

$0.72 €0.65

-40.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 €5.41

$6.58 €5.90

-8.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.43 €3.97

$5.61 €5.02

-21.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.36 €1.22

-2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.14 €1.91

-17.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.33 €2.09

-35.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.63 €20.27

$44.68 €40.01

-49.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 €4.85

$3.85 €3.45

40.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.07 €0.96

18.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.84 €25.83

$16.46 €14.74

75.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.20 €1.97

-20.91%

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

$38.0K €34.0K

$34.2K €30.6K

11.08%

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

$28.6K €25.6K

$38.7K €34.7K

-26.26%

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

$142 €127

$161 €144

-11.79%

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

$17.97 €16.10

$18.41 €16.49

-2.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.48 €20.14

$32.74 €29.32

-31.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.31 €40.58

$44.55 €39.90

1.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.03 €9.88

$19.10 €17.10

-42.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 €8.06

$9.60 €8.60

-6.25%

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

$472 €423

$668 €598

-29.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,360 €6,592

$17.6K €15.8K

-58.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 €75.4

$102 €91.4

-17.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.92 €23.21

$44.46 €39.82

-41.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 €69.1

$98.5 €88.2

-21.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 €81.5

$124 €111

-26.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 €688

$1,608 €1,440

-52.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 €507

$1,190 €1,066

-52.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 €1,161

$2,812 €2,519

-53.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 €1,250

$2,013 €1,803

-30.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,450 €3,090

$7,839 €7,021

-55.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,572 €1,408

$4,576 €4,098

-65.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,628 €1,458

$1,575 €1,411

3.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

3.85

-10.91%

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

Last update for Salamanca: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salamanca

$566 39.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 110% $624

Groceries & Markets

Salamanca

$247 17.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 10.3% $26

Eating Out

Salamanca

$211 14.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 14.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salamanca

$183 12.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 16.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Salamanca

$125 8.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 32.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Salamanca

$63 4.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 0.7% $0.4

Getting Around

Salamanca

$40 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 56.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Salamanca and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salamanca pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57 in Salamanca vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $247 vs $272 per month, with Salamanca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Salamanca

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

1 h behind Salamanca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,954

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

Salamanca vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,436 in Salamanca and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Salamanca is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Salamanca, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $768 in Salamanca versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $472 in Salamanca versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Salamanca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.