Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Rico and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Rico: $1,716 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Puerto Rico, Spain
Lisbon, Portugal
Puerto Rico
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,716
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,716 in Puerto Rico versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Puerto Rico $1,716
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,564 in Puerto Rico versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Puerto Rico $2,564
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,412 in Puerto Rico versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Puerto Rico $3,412
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Puerto Rico 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: Puerto Rico 26% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.45 €18.37
$16.65 €14.95
22.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 €54.8
$61.7 €55.5
-1.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.30 €10.15
$11.36 €10.20
-0.53%
Cappuccino
$2.04 €1.84
$2.97 €2.67
-31.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.70
$2.29 €2.06
-17.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.16
$1.74 €1.56
-25.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.72 €2.44
$3.40 €3.06
-20.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 €3.07
$3.31 €2.97
3.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 €1.24
$1.16 €1.04
18.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.40 €2.16
$1.91 €1.72
25.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.51 €1.36
1.32%
Eggs
$4.25 €3.82
$4.02 €3.61
5.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.32 €17.35
$12.94 €11.62
49.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.01 €8.99
$7.77 €6.98
28.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.41 €15.64
$17.76 €15.95
-1.97%
Apples (1kg)
$2.67 €2.40
$2.30 €2.07
16.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.32 €2.09
$1.73 €1.56
34.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.15 €1.93
$1.86 €1.67
15.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.49 €2.24
$2.59 €2.33
-3.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.17 €1.95
$1.82 €1.64
19.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.82
$1.97 €1.77
2.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 €1.46
$1.47 €1.32
10.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.87
$0.72 €0.65
34.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.63 €4.16
$6.58 €5.91
-29.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.87 €7.07
$5.61 €5.04
40.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 €1.53
$1.36 €1.22
25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.51
$2.14 €1.92
-21.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.66 €1.49
$2.33 €2.10
-28.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.24 €28.96
$44.68 €40.14
-27.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.33 €3.89
$3.85 €3.46
12.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.67 €1.50
$1.07 €0.96
56.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.83 €15.12
$16.46 €14.79
2.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 €1.56
$2.20 €1.98
-20.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K €31.3K
$34.2K €30.7K
2.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K €28.7K
$38.7K €34.8K
-17.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$129 €116
$161 €145
-19.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.38 €20.10
$18.41 €16.54
21.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.85 €32.21
$32.74 €29.41
9.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.45 €39.93
$44.55 €40.02
-0.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.59 €14.01
$19.10 €17.16
-18.38%
Cinema Ticket
$9.91 €8.90
$9.60 €8.62
3.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$403 €362
$668 €600
-39.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,970 €4,465
$17.6K €15.8K
-71.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.8 €82.4
$102 €91.6
-10.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.61 €38.27
$44.46 €39.94
-4.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 €81.4
$98.5 €88.5
-8.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 €102
$124 €111
-8.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$874 €785
$1,608 €1,445
-45.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$679 €610
$1,190 €1,069
-42.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,331 €1,196
$2,812 €2,526
-52.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,010 €907
$2,013 €1,808
-49.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,233 €2,904
$7,839 €7,042
-58.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,186 €1,964
$4,576 €4,110
-52.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Puerto Rico
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,575 €1,415
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
3.85
-7.53%

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

Last update for Puerto Rico: 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
Puerto Rico
$679
Lisbon
$1.2K 75.2% $511
Groceries & Markets
Puerto Rico
$326
Lisbon
$272 16.4% $53
Eating Out
Puerto Rico
$255
Lisbon
$243 4.9% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Rico
$187
Lisbon
$212 13.4% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Rico
$152
Lisbon
$166 8.9% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Rico
$64
Lisbon
$64 0.8% $0.5
Getting Around
Puerto Rico
$52
Lisbon
$63 22.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $874 in Puerto Rico and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Puerto Rico vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Puerto Rico
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
14:08 2:08 PM
14:08 2:08 PM
Same time as Puerto Rico
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,500
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Puerto Rico Lisbon 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Puerto Rico
  • 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
Puerto Rico vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Puerto Rico and in Lisbon?
Puerto Rico and Lisbon differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,716 vs $2,210 including rent). Puerto Rico is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Puerto Rico compared to Lisbon?
You’d need roughly $2,574 in Puerto Rico 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Puerto Rico and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $874 in Puerto Rico versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Puerto Rico or Lisbon?
All in, you’ll spend $1,716 per month in Puerto Rico versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How far does $2,500 go in Puerto Rico compared to Lisbon?
Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Puerto Rico gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Puerto Rico and Lisbon?
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.
Is Puerto Rico or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Puerto Rico 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.

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