Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sonsonate and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sonsonate: $1,151 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sonsonate
Learn more

Sonsonate Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Sonsonate

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,151

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,151 in Sonsonate versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Sonsonate $1,151
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,724 in Sonsonate versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Sonsonate $1,724
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,296 in Sonsonate versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Sonsonate $2,296
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Sonsonate costs roughly 48% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sonsonate is 15% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.66 $6.66

$16.65 €14.95

-60.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.42 $45.42

$61.7 €55.5

-26.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 $7.05

$11.36 €10.20

-37.94%

Cappuccino

$3.45 $3.45

$2.97 €2.67

16.16%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$2.29 €2.06

-51.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.74 €1.56

-53.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.40 €3.06

-39.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.31 €2.97

9.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.16 €1.04

61.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.91 €1.72

46.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.51 €1.36

-7.28%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$4.02 €3.61

-26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.66 $7.66

$12.94 €11.62

-40.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.06 $7.06

$7.77 €6.98

-9.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 $10.22

$17.76 €15.95

-42.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.30 €2.07

115.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.73 €1.56

-20.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.86 €1.67

39.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.59 €2.33

33.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.82 €1.64

63.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.97 €1.77

65.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.47 €1.32

-34.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.72 €0.65

36.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 $4.08

$6.58 €5.91

-37.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 $11.82

$5.61 €5.04

110.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.36 €1.22

60.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.14 €1.92

39.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 $6.03

$3.85 €3.46

56.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.07 €0.96

174.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.17 $20.17

$16.46 €14.79

22.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.20 €1.98

-44.09%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$34.2K €30.7K

-28.16%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

-29.82%

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

$130 $130

$161 €145

-19.25%

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

$20.96 $20.96

$18.41 €16.54

13.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.83 $42.83

$32.74 €29.41

30.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 $4.86

$9.60 €8.62

-49.38%

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

$165 $165

$668 €600

-75.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,788 $4,788

$17.6K €15.8K

-72.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.1 $66.1

$102 €91.6

-35.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.24 $46.24

$44.46 €39.94

4.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$98.5 €88.5

18.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$124 €111

-5.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 $546

$1,608 €1,445

-66.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 $344

$1,190 €1,069

-71.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 $736

$2,812 €2,526

-73.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 $506

$2,013 €1,808

-74.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

3.85

120.78%

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

Last update for Sonsonate: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sonsonate

$344 29.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 246% $846

Groceries & Markets

Sonsonate

$285 24.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 4.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sonsonate

$194 16.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 9.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Sonsonate

$156 13.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 6.5% $10

Eating Out

Sonsonate

$141 12.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 71.9% $101

Getting Around

Sonsonate

$21 * 1.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 205% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sonsonate

$9.7 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 556% $54

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 $546 in Sonsonate and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45 in Sonsonate vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Sonsonate

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

03:08 3:08 AM

6 h ahead of Sonsonate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,468

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sonsonate Lisbon 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sonsonate
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

Sonsonate vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,151 in Sonsonate and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Sonsonate is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,726 in Sonsonate 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: $546 in Sonsonate 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 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,151 per month in Sonsonate versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Sonsonate is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,151 in Sonsonate versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sonsonate but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sonsonate 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, Sonsonate and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.