Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ciudad del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Carmen: $1,207 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.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Carmen
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Ciudad del Carmen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ciudad del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ciudad del Carmen

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 Ciudad del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,207 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Lisbon $2,210
Ciudad del Carmen $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,923 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Lisbon $3,275
Ciudad del Carmen $1,923

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,640 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Lisbon $4,341
Ciudad del Carmen $2,640

Living in Lisbon is roughly 83% more expensive than in Ciudad del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$10.90 MX$203

52.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$46.79 MX$872

31.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$8.65 MX$161

31.33%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.59 MX$66.8

-17.27%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.40 MX$26.11

63.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.91 MX$16.94

91.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.39 MX$44.61

42.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.02 MX$74.9

-17.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.51 MX$28.21

-23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.32 MX$43.17

-17.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.46 MX$27.22

3.42%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.24 MX$41.71

79.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$6.95 MX$130

86.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$8.87 MX$165

-12.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$10.55 MX$197

68.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.79 MX$52.1

-17.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.50 MX$27.90

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.92 MX$35.87

-3.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.72 MX$32.15

50.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.09 MX$39.03

-12.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.02 MX$37.73

-2.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.22 MX$22.73

20.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.02 MX$18.94

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.18 MX$77.9

57.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$9.67 MX$180

-41.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.77 MX$33.02

-23.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.24 MX$60.5

-33.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.74 MX$13.83

214.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$26.46 MX$493

68.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.56 MX$47.81

50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.92 MX$35.84

-44.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$11.31 MX$211

45.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.46 MX$27.26

50.68%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$21.7K MX$404.4K

57.60%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$20.8K MX$387.8K

86.15%

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

$161 €145

$63.3 MX$1,180

154.69%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$21.47 MX$400

-14.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$29.58 MX$551

10.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$28.06 MX$523

58.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$22.18 MX$413

-13.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.45 MX$82.9

115.73%

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

$668 €600

$246 MX$4,589

171.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,136 MX$95.7K

242.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$50.8 MX$947

100.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$41.36 MX$771

7.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$101 MX$1,876

-2.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$97.8 MX$1,822

26.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$621 MX$11.6K

158.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$447 MX$8,330

166.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$895 MX$16.7K

214.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$846 MX$15.8K

137.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,896 MX$35.3K

313.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,016 MX$18.9K

350.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.31

-65.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ciudad del Carmen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ciudad del Carmen

$447 37% 62.4% $743

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ciudad del Carmen

$251 20.8% 7.7% $21

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ciudad del Carmen

$185 15.4% 23.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ciudad del Carmen

$114 9.5% 46.1% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ciudad del Carmen

$131 10.8% 21.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ciudad del Carmen

$37 3.1% 42% $27

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ciudad del Carmen

$42 3.5% 34.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $621 in Ciudad del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $47 in Ciudad del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $251 per month, with Ciudad del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇽 Ciudad del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

10:07 10:07 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

191,238

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Lisbon Ciudad del Carmen 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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

Lisbon vs Ciudad del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Ciudad del Carmen differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,207 including rent). Ciudad del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,811 in Ciudad del Carmen 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $621 in Ciudad del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ciudad del Carmen runs roughly 41% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $246 in Ciudad del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,207 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad del Carmen 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.

Expats usually find Ciudad del Carmen 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.