Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upala and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Upala: $1,439 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.

68

Cost of Living Index in Upala
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Upala Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Upala

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,439

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Upala versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Upala $1,439
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,252 in Upala versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Upala $2,252
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,065 in Upala versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Upala $3,065
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Upala 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: Upala 6% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,565

$16.65 €14.87

-25.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$61.7 €55.2

-12.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.47 ₡5,158

$11.36 €10.14

0.97%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₡1,650

$2.97 €2.65

23.57%

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

$1.75 ₡786

$2.29 €2.04

-23.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₡786

$1.74 €1.56

0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,519

$3.40 €3.04

-0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,989

$3.31 €2.96

33.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₡980

$1.16 €1.03

87.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ₡730

$1.91 €1.71

-15.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,081

$1.51 €1.35

58.94%

Eggs

$2.70 ₡1,212

$4.02 €3.59

-32.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.32 ₡1,492

$12.94 €11.56

-74.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 ₡3,035

$7.77 €6.94

-13.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 ₡3,959

$17.76 €15.86

-50.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ₡780

$2.30 €2.06

-24.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 ₡302

$1.73 €1.55

-61.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ₡1,301

$1.86 €1.66

55.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 ₡1,218

$2.59 €2.31

4.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,673

$1.82 €1.63

104.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 ₡1,221

$1.97 €1.76

38.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.47 €1.31

-23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,163

$0.72 €0.65

259.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 ₡2,591

$6.58 €5.88

-12.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 ₡3,973

$5.61 €5.01

57.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,208

$1.36 €1.22

97.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.14 €1.91

64.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ₡652

$2.33 €2.08

-37.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ₡1,065

$3.85 €3.44

-38.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡694

$1.07 €0.96

43.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 ₡2,895

$16.46 €14.70

-60.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₡641

$2.20 €1.97

-35.45%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$34.2K €30.5K

-1.67%

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

$41.4K ₡18.6M

$38.7K €34.6K

6.94%

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

$56.9 ₡25.6K

$161 €144

-64.72%

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

$35.83 ₡16.1K

$18.41 €16.44

94.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.24 ₡10.0K

$32.74 €29.24

-32.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.5 ₡29.9K

$44.55 €39.79

49.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ₡3,499

$9.60 €8.57

-18.96%

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

$969 ₡435.8K

$668 €596

45.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$17.6K €15.7K

-3.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.78 ₡14.7K

$102 €91.1

-67.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.09 ₡9,936

$44.46 €39.72

-50.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.7K

$98.5 €88.0

32.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.23 ₡14.9K

$124 €110

-73.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 ₡386.0K

$1,608 €1,437

-46.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₡294.3K

$1,190 €1,063

-45.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,766 ₡794.4K

$2,812 €2,512

-37.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 ₡547.9K

$2,013 €1,798

-39.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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

Last update for Upala: 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

Upala

$654 45.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 81.9% $536

Groceries & Markets

Upala

$257 17.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 6.1% $16

Eating Out

Upala

$217 15.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 11.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upala

$115 8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 84.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Upala

$98 6.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 68.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Upala

$82 5.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 22.3% $18

Getting Around

Upala

$16 * 1.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 298% $47

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 $858 in Upala and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54 in Upala vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $272 per month, with Upala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Upala

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

03:32 3:32 AM

6 h ahead of Upala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Upala Lisbon 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Upala
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

Upala vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,439 in Upala and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Upala is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,159 in Upala 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: $858 in Upala versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,439 per month in Upala versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Upala is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Upala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.