Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timor-Leste and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Timor-Leste: $1,598 a month against $1,760 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Timor-Leste
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Timor-Leste Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,598

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,760

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timor-Leste and in Spain

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Timor-Leste and in Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,598 in Timor-Leste versus $1,760 in Spain.

Timor-Leste $1,598
Spain $1,760

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,482 in Timor-Leste versus $2,581 in Spain.

Timor-Leste $2,482
Spain $2,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,366 in Timor-Leste versus $3,402 in Spain.

Timor-Leste $3,366
Spain $3,402

Internal cost variation is higher in Timor-Leste: monthly costs span $1,619 to $1,619, compared to $937–$2,649 in Spain. City choice carries more weight in Timor-Leste.

Living in Timor-Leste costs about 9% less than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Timor-Leste 18% above, Spain 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 $5.11

$16.72 €14.87

-69.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.38 $35.38

$56.0 €49.76

-36.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.57 $6.57

$11.13 €9.90

-40.97%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$2.43 €2.17

62.55%

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

$1.80 $1.80

$2.63 €2.34

-31.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.81 €1.61

59.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.40 €3.03

-12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.82 €3.39

1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.17 €1.04

94.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.50 €1.33

61.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.60 €1.43

-39.38%

Eggs

$2.64 $2.64

$3.33 €2.96

-20.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$14.41 €12.82

-86.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 $9.62

$8.33 €7.41

15.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.83 $15.83

$16.30 €14.50

-2.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.57 €2.29

27.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.04 €1.82

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.04 €1.82

22.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.55 €2.27

-9.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.83 €1.63

-34.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.03 €1.80

-40.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.36 €1.21

-36.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.74 €0.66

37.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$6.35 €5.65

-52.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$5.52 €4.91

114.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.31 €1.17

74.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.02 €1.80

39.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.71 €1.52

-85.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.44 $42.44

$33.15 €29.49

28.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$4.52 €4.02

-20.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.50 €1.34

142.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$24.43 €21.73

-19.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.79 €1.59

-20.67%

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

$20.1K $20.1K

$35.9K €32.0K

-44.05%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$31.2K €27.7K

-42.42%

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

$147 $147

$150 €133

-1.69%

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

$26.97 $26.97

$17.57 €15.62

53.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.32 €27.86

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.1 $74.1

$45.55 €40.52

62.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.00 €13.34

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 $6.06

$9.47 €8.43

-36.01%

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

$1,527 $1,527

$544 €484

180.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$10.8K €9,563

48.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$84.1 €74.8

-27.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.83 $29.83

$36.90 €32.82

-19.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$88.5 €78.7

-10.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 $59.1

$104 €92.8

-43.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 $830

$1,017 €904

-18.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$793 €705

-5.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 $2,689

$1,605 €1,428

67.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 $1,533

$1,209 €1,075

26.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,093 €3,640

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,581 €2,296

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,866 $4,866

$2,001 €1,780

143.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.3

62.73%

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

Last update for Timor-Leste: October 18, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timor-Leste

$745 46.6%

Spain

$793 45% 6.4% $47

Groceries & Markets

Timor-Leste

$274 17.2%

Spain

$272 15.4% 1% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timor-Leste

$174 * 10.9%

Spain

$199 11.3% 14% $24

Eating Out

Timor-Leste

$149 9.3%

Spain

$239 13.6% 60% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Timor-Leste

$103 6.5%

Spain

$141 8% 36.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Timor-Leste

$86 5.4%

Spain

$65 3.7% 25.2% $22

Getting Around

Timor-Leste

$65 4.1%

Spain

$52 3% 20.2% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $815 in Timor-Leste, $913 in Spain. Capital cities: $815 in Dili vs $1,509 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $3,531 in Timor-Leste, $1,977 in Spain. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 12% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 14% more in Spain.

Salaries are 79% higher in Timor-Leste, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Timor-Leste.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

8 h behind Timor-Leste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,243,235

47,415,750

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Timor-Leste Spain 13,900 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Timor-Leste
Spain

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

Timor-Leste vs Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,760 per month in Spain and $1,598 in Timor-Leste, there's a 10% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $913 in Spain and $815 in Timor-Leste. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Timor-Leste, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Timor-Leste wins on affordability; Spain may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.