Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza, El Salvador and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $635 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Zaragoza

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$635

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $635 in Zaragoza versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Zaragoza $635
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,036 in Zaragoza versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Zaragoza $1,036
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,437 in Zaragoza versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Zaragoza $1,437
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Zaragoza costs roughly 71% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zaragoza is 53% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 $6.95

$16.65 €14.96

-58.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.51 $29.51

$61.7 €55.5

-52.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 $6.96

$11.36 €10.20

-38.73%

Cappuccino

$1.54 $1.54

$2.97 €2.67

-48.15%

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

$1.11 $1.11

$2.29 €2.06

-51.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.74 €1.56

-53.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.40 €3.06

-63.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.31 €2.97

-35.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.16 €1.04

53.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.91 €1.72

18.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.51 €1.36

-35.76%

Eggs

$2.50 $2.50

$4.02 €3.61

-37.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$12.94 €11.62

-42.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$7.77 €6.99

-49.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$17.76 €15.96

-69.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.30 €2.07

73.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.73 €1.56

-17.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.86 €1.67

38.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.59 €2.33

-17.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.82 €1.64

62.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.97 €1.77

-7.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.47 €1.32

-34.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.72 €0.65

9.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 $3.77

$6.58 €5.92

-42.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$5.61 €5.04

46.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.36 €1.22

17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.14 €1.92

3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.33 €2.10

-36.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.85 €3.46

27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.07 €0.96

173.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.10 $20.10

$16.46 €14.79

22.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.20 €1.98

-49.09%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$34.2K €30.7K

-27.55%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$38.7K €34.8K

-36.39%

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

$46.09 $46.09

$161 €145

-71.41%

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

$21.21 $21.21

$18.41 €16.54

15.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 $35.34

$32.74 €29.41

7.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.94 $34.94

$44.55 €40.03

-21.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$9.60 €8.62

-47.60%

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

$150 $150

$668 €600

-77.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,759 $4,759

$17.6K €15.8K

-72.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 $67.3

$102 €91.7

-34.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.68 $46.68

$44.46 €39.95

4.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$98.5 €88.5

13.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 $69.5

$124 €111

-43.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

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 Zaragoza: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$217 34.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 25.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$133 20.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25% $33

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$113 17.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 115% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$103 16.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 107% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$45 7.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 41.6% $19

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$25 * 4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 148% $38

Accommodation & Living

Zaragoza

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30 in Zaragoza vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $272 per month, with Zaragoza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Zaragoza

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

11:58 11:58 AM

6 h ahead of Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,749

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zaragoza Lisbon 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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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

Zaragoza vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zaragoza and Lisbon differ by about 248% in total monthly costs ($635 vs $2,210 including rent). Zaragoza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $953 in Zaragoza 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $635 per month in Zaragoza versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 248% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $635 in Zaragoza versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Zaragoza but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zaragoza 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.