Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,398 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cancun vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cancun $1,398
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $2,267 per month in Cancun vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cancun $2,267
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $3,136 per month in Cancun vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Cancun $3,136
Lisbon $4,319

Cancun is about 37% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cancun and Lisbon sit above the global median – Cancun by 4%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 MX$200

$16.50 €14.67

-34.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$994

$61.3 €54.5

-12.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 MX$213

$11.27 €10.03

2.48%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$3.06 €2.72

26.14%

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

$1.34 MX$24.78

$2.26 €2.01

-40.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.57

$1.73 €1.54

-51.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$3.39 €3.02

-9.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$3.40 €3.02

21.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.29

$1.12 €1.00

46.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.72

$1.86 €1.65

38.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.12

$1.53 €1.36

9.80%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$3.96 €3.53

-29.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MX$183

$12.76 €11.35

-22.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 MX$163

$7.90 €7.02

11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 MX$263

$16.97 €15.09

-16.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$2.27 €2.02

29.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.88

$1.75 €1.55

-4.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.5

$1.85 €1.64

62.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.55

$2.57 €2.28

-14.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.91

$1.86 €1.65

4.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$2.02 €1.80

-2.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.23

$1.44 €1.28

-20.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.51

$0.82 €0.73

48.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$6.56 €5.83

-33.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$185

$5.62 €5.00

78.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$1.28 €1.14

24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.07 €1.84

35.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.66

$2.35 €2.09

-71.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.10 MX$538

$44.18 €39.30

-34.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MX$79.9

$3.99 €3.55

8.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$1.09 €0.97

158.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 MX$253

$16.64 €14.81

-17.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$2.28 €2.03

-32.89%

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

$21.3K MX$394.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

-36.64%

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

$23.8K MX$439.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-39.43%

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

$170 MX$3,149

$167 €149

1.74%

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

$23.44 MX$433

$18.80 €16.72

24.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.92 MX$719

$33.09 €29.43

17.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.26 MX$596

$46.01 €40.93

-29.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 MX$244

$19.19 €17.07

-31.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$135

$9.84 €8.75

-25.91%

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

$204 MX$3,761

$677 €602

-69.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,396 MX$99.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

-68.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$999

$101 €90.1

-46.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$45.76 €40.70

20.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 MX$1,368

$100.0 €88.9

-25.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MX$1,737

$123 €109

-23.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.2K

$1,614 €1,436

-59.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 MX$8,445

$1,197 €1,065

-61.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$26.0K

$2,862 €2,545

-50.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$1,990 €1,770

-46.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 MX$23.4K

$7,577 €6,740

-83.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 MX$35.9K

$4,307 €3,831

-54.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 MX$14.8K

$1,588 €1,412

-49.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.85

197.40%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$457 32.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 162% $740

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 6.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$233 16.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 5.8% $13

Eating Out

Cancun

$200 14.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 21.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$125 8.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 33.3% $42

Getting Around

Cancun

$50 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 25.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$47 3.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 40.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Cancun versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 98% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Cancun versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Cancun vs $269 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

17:40 5:40 PM

6 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cancun Lisbon 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

Cancun vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Cancun, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Cancun and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cancun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Cancun and $677 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,398, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cancun has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,398 in Cancun to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cancun. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.