Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scalea and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Scalea: $1,723 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,723

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,723 in Scalea versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Scalea $1,723
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,482 in Scalea versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Scalea $2,482
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Scalea versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Scalea $3,241
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Scalea costs roughly 22% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scalea 27% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €15.09

$16.65 €14.95

0.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.8

$61.7 €55.5

-8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.90

$11.36 €10.20

-2.99%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.89

$2.97 €2.67

-29.29%

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

$2.96 €2.66

$2.29 €2.06

29.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.74 €1.56

19.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.92

$3.40 €3.06

93.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.71

$3.31 €2.97

24.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.16 €1.04

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.91 €1.72

-12.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.51 €1.36

73.51%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.06

$4.02 €3.61

-15.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 €9.92

$12.94 €11.62

-14.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.51

$7.77 €6.98

50.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 €14.18

$17.76 €15.95

-11.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.30 €2.07

-13.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.86 €1.67

-25.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.37

$2.59 €2.33

1.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.82 €1.64

-4.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.97 €1.77

-34.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.47 €1.32

-12.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 €0.42

$0.72 €0.65

-36.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.12

$6.58 €5.91

3.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 €7.01

$5.61 €5.04

39.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.36 €1.22

34.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.14 €1.92

-28.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.33 €2.10

-28.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.62 €34.69

$44.68 €40.14

-13.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.11

$3.85 €3.46

18.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.07 €0.96

6.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.00 €19.76

$16.46 €14.79

33.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.91

$2.20 €1.98

-3.64%

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

$36.0K €32.3K

$34.2K €30.7K

5.27%

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

$37.6K €33.8K

$38.7K €34.8K

-2.90%

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

$315 €283

$161 €145

95.08%

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

$10.52 €9.45

$18.41 €16.54

-42.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.57 €31.05

$32.74 €29.41

5.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 €47.73

$44.55 €40.02

19.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.55 €20.26

$19.10 €17.16

18.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.14

$9.60 €8.62

-5.52%

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

$445 €400

$668 €600

-33.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,807 €6,114

$17.6K €15.8K

-61.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 €74.6

$102 €91.6

-18.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.18 €30.70

$44.46 €39.94

-23.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €76.3

$98.5 €88.5

-13.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €116

$124 €111

4.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 €629

$1,608 €1,445

-56.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 €500

$1,190 €1,069

-53.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 €987

$2,812 €2,526

-60.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €735

$2,013 €1,808

-59.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,452 €1,304

$7,839 €7,042

-81.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 €1,025

$4,576 €4,110

-75.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

3.85

-7.79%

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

Last update for Scalea: 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

Scalea

$556 32.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 114% $634

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scalea

$360 20.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 40.9% $147

Groceries & Markets

Scalea

$278 16.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 2% $5.5

Eating Out

Scalea

$254 14.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 4.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Scalea

$149 8.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 11.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Scalea

$71 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 10.6% $7.5

Getting Around

Scalea

$56 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 13.9% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $700 in Scalea and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in Scalea vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $278 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Scalea

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

1 h behind Scalea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,913

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

Scalea Lisbon 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Scalea
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

Scalea vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scalea and Lisbon differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,723 vs $2,210 including rent). Scalea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,585 in Scalea 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: $700 in Scalea versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Scalea runs roughly 14% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,723 per month in Scalea versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Scalea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Scalea 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.