Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cuernavaca

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.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Cuernavaca

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

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

Lisbon $2,210
Cuernavaca $1,208

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

Lisbon $3,275
Cuernavaca $1,788

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

Lisbon $4,341
Cuernavaca $2,368

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$7.98 MX$149

108.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$37.14 MX$694

66.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$6.83 MX$128

66.33%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.48 MX$46.28

19.76%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.31 MX$24.45

74.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.61 MX$11.42

185.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.44 MX$45.52

39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.27 MX$61.1

1.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.62 MX$30.31

-28.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.21 MX$41.29

-13.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.42 MX$26.50

6.34%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.89 MX$35.23

112.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.76 MX$145

66.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$4.82 MX$90.0

61.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$13.55 MX$253

31.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.21 MX$41.26

4.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.32 MX$24.73

31.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.22 MX$41.45

-16.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.66 MX$30.95

56.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.76 MX$32.94

3.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.71 MX$31.94

15.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.49 MX$27.89

-1.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.83 MX$15.50

-13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$4.23 MX$79.1

55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.03 MX$150

-30.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.21 MX$22.63

12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.30 MX$61.6

-35.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.71 MX$13.31

228.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$34.93 MX$653

27.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.91 MX$35.62

101.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.49 MX$46.60

-57.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$10.64 MX$199

54.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.33 MX$24.94

65.41%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$24.5K MX$456.9K

39.82%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$23.4K MX$436.5K

65.76%

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

$161 €145

$56.4 MX$1,054

185.95%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$18.52 MX$346

-0.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$24.73 MX$462

32.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$29.09 MX$543

53.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$5.24 MX$97.9

83.21%

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

$668 €600

$218 MX$4,072

206.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,055 MX$94.5K

248.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$40.44 MX$756

152.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$32.23 MX$602

37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$92.5 MX$1,728

6.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$97.7 MX$1,826

26.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$619 MX$11.6K

159.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$529 MX$9,882

125.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$901 MX$16.8K

212.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$803 MX$15.0K

150.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$851 MX$15.9K

821.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$594 MX$11.1K

670.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$638 MX$11.9K

147.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.4

-66.23%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8% 55.6% $661

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Cuernavaca

$229 19% 15.9% $43

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6% 42.1% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3% 53.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8% 28.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3% 37.9% $24

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3% 17.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $619 in Cuernavaca. 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $37 in Cuernavaca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $229 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

03:12 3:12 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

341,029

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Cuernavaca 8,710 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 Cuernavaca: 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.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.5 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 $619 in Cuernavaca. 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, Lisbon and Cuernavaca 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.