Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bamako

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamako: $899 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Bamako
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Bamako Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bamako

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $899 in Bamako.

Lisbon $2,202
Bamako $899

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,467 in Bamako.

Lisbon $3,274
Bamako $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,034 in Bamako.

Lisbon $4,346
Bamako $2,034

Living in Lisbon is roughly 145% more expensive than in Bamako, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Bamako is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$8.65 F CFA 5,042

96.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$35.32 F CFA 20.6K

76.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.02 F CFA 4,678

37.41%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.66 F CFA 967

87.95%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.97 F CFA 567

134.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.69 F CFA 405

152.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.36 F CFA 1,376

44.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$21.09 F CFA 12.3K

-82.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.92 F CFA 1,120

-39.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.80 F CFA 2,218

-51.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$6.07 F CFA 3,537

-33.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$17.47 F CFA 10.2K

-26.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$15.92 F CFA 9,284

-50.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.59 F CFA 7,342

40.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$4.11 F CFA 2,397

-45.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.02 F CFA 595

71.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.90 F CFA 1,689

-34.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.07 F CFA 1,204

23.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.25 F CFA 728

48.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.14 F CFA 664

72.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.09 F CFA 51.0

1511.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.80 F CFA 1,633

-72.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.57 F CFA 916

-12.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.67 F CFA 973

26.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.25 F CFA 729

-16.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.12 F CFA 655

95.54%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

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

$38.3K €34.0K

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

$164 €146

$152 F CFA 88.5K

7.91%

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

$18.48 €16.43

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$66.1 F CFA 38.6K

-50.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$69.6 F CFA 40.6K

-34.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

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

$684 €608

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$176 F CFA 102.4K

804.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$80.4 F CFA 46.9K

1354.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$503 F CFA 293.1K

467.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$302 F CFA 176.2K

559.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,258 F CFA 733.7K

251.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$266 F CFA 155.2K

501.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bamako: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Bamako

$80 8.9% 93.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Bamako

$351 * 39.1% 28.6% $78

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Bamako

$174 19.3% 29.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Bamako

$218 * 24.2% 1.2% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Bamako

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Bamako

$70 * 7.7% 6.4% $4.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bamako

$6.3 * 0.7% 90.1% $57

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $176 in Bamako. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 501% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $35.00 in Bamako. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $351, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇱 Bamako

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

1 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,809,106 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Bamako 2,900 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Bamako

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

Lisbon vs Bamako: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 145% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 501% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $176 in Bamako. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $899 in Bamako – a 145% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $899 in Bamako versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bamako but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bamako the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bamako delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $899 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bamako hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Bamako 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 Bamako gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.