Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cotonou

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
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Cotonou Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cotonou

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 Cotonou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $897 in Cotonou.

Lisbon $2,210
Cotonou $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,428 in Cotonou.

Lisbon $3,275
Cotonou $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,958 in Cotonou.

Lisbon $4,341
Cotonou $1,958

Living in Lisbon is roughly 146% more expensive than in Cotonou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$5.18 F CFA 3,050

221.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$35.68 F CFA 21.0K

73.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.39 F CFA 5,527

20.98%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.25 F CFA 3,093

-43.43%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.00 F CFA 590

129.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.89 F CFA 523

95.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$0.87 F CFA 511

290.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.59 F CFA 1,525

27.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$3.10 F CFA 1,824

-62.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.23 F CFA 725

55.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.88 F CFA 1,108

-19.68%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.74 F CFA 1,614

46.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.25 F CFA 5,449

39.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.43 F CFA 3,196

43.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$5.04 F CFA 2,966

252.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.99 F CFA 2,351

-42.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.78 F CFA 1,046

-2.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.33 F CFA 781

39.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.71 F CFA 1,595

-4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.27 F CFA 746

43.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.68 F CFA 989

17.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.43 F CFA 253

241.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.14 F CFA 672

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.37 F CFA 1,982

95.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.30 F CFA 2,530

30.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.17 F CFA 690

16.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.86 F CFA 1,094

15.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.30 F CFA 766

79.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.38 F CFA 810

178.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.32 F CFA 778

-18.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.18 F CFA 696

86.44%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$23.5K F CFA 13.8M

64.72%

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

$161 €145

$145 F CFA 85.3K

11.30%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$33.52 F CFA 19.7K

-45.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$49.06 F CFA 28.9K

-33.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$47.60 F CFA 28.0K

-6.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$3.36 F CFA 1,978

468.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.58 F CFA 5,055

11.89%

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

$668 €600

$131 F CFA 77.1K

410.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,544 F CFA 3.3M

217.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$25.39 F CFA 15.0K

301.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$33.44 F CFA 19.7K

194.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$67.9 F CFA 40.0K

82.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$176 F CFA 103.6K

814.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$163 F CFA 95.9K

630.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$600 F CFA 353.4K

368.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$412 F CFA 242.9K

388.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$251 F CFA 147.5K

528.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-3.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cotonou

$163 18.2% 86.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cotonou

$222 24.8% 18.5% $50

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cotonou

$150 16.7% 38.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cotonou

$227 25.4% 7.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4% 65.6% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cotonou

$65 7.2% 1.6% $1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5% 79.1% $50

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $176 in Cotonou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $36 in Cotonou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $222 per month, with Cotonou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

780,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Cotonou 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Cotonou

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 Cotonou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotonou is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. The 146% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 6.3 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $176 in Cotonou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $897 in Cotonou – a 146% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $897 in Cotonou versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cotonou wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.