Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,208 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Cuernavaca versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Cuernavaca $1,208
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Cuernavaca versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Cuernavaca $1,788
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,368 in Cuernavaca versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Cuernavaca $2,368
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Cuernavaca costs roughly 45% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cuernavaca is 11% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.98 MX$149

$16.65 €14.96

-52.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.14 MX$694

$61.7 €55.5

-39.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 MX$128

$11.36 €10.20

-39.88%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MX$46.28

$2.97 €2.67

-16.50%

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

$1.31 MX$24.45

$2.29 €2.06

-42.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 MX$11.42

$1.74 €1.56

-64.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 MX$45.52

$3.40 €3.06

-28.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 MX$61.1

$3.31 €2.97

-1.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$30.31

$1.16 €1.04

39.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$41.29

$1.91 €1.72

15.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.50

$1.51 €1.36

-5.96%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$35.23

$4.02 €3.61

-52.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 MX$145

$12.94 €11.62

-40.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 MX$90.0

$7.77 €6.99

-37.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 MX$253

$17.76 €15.96

-23.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 MX$41.26

$2.30 €2.07

-3.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.73

$1.73 €1.56

-23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.45

$1.86 €1.67

19.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.95

$2.59 €2.33

-35.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.94

$1.82 €1.64

-3.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.94

$1.97 €1.77

-13.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.89

$1.47 €1.32

1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.50

$0.72 €0.65

15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 MX$79.1

$6.58 €5.92

-35.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 MX$150

$5.61 €5.04

43.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.63

$1.36 €1.22

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MX$61.6

$2.14 €1.92

54.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MX$13.31

$2.33 €2.10

-69.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 MX$653

$44.68 €40.14

-21.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MX$35.62

$3.85 €3.46

-50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 MX$46.60

$1.07 €0.96

132.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.64 MX$199

$16.46 €14.79

-35.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.94

$2.20 €1.98

-39.55%

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

$24.5K MX$456.9K

$34.2K €30.7K

-28.48%

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

$23.4K MX$436.5K

$38.7K €34.8K

-39.67%

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

$56.4 MX$1,054

$161 €145

-65.03%

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

$18.52 MX$346

$18.41 €16.54

0.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.73 MX$462

$32.74 €29.41

-24.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.09 MX$543

$44.55 €40.03

-34.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$97.9

$9.60 €8.62

-45.42%

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

$218 MX$4,072

$668 €600

-67.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,055 MX$94.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

-71.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.44 MX$756

$102 €91.7

-60.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.23 MX$602

$44.46 €39.95

-27.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 MX$1,728

$98.5 €88.5

-6.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MX$1,826

$124 €111

-21.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 MX$11.6K

$1,608 €1,445

-61.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 MX$9,882

$1,190 €1,069

-55.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.8K

$2,812 €2,527

-67.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MX$15.0K

$2,013 €1,809

-60.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$851 MX$15.9K

$7,839 €7,043

-89.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$594 MX$11.1K

$4,576 €4,111

-87.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$638 MX$11.9K

$1,575 €1,415

-59.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

3.85

196.10%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: 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

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 125% $661

Groceries & Markets

Cuernavaca

$229 19%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 18.9% $43

Eating Out

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 72.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 40.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 113% $113

Getting Around

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 21.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 61.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Cuernavaca and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Cuernavaca vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $272 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

6 h ahead of Cuernavaca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,029

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

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

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Cuernavaca Lisbon 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuernavaca
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

Cuernavaca vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuernavaca is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Cuernavaca. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Cuernavaca versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuernavaca – a meal for two runs $37 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Cuernavaca versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca 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.

Safety-wise, Cuernavaca 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.

Expats usually find Cuernavaca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.