Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and El Mahalla El Kubra

For one person, living is cheaper in El Mahalla El Kubra: $408 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
El Mahalla El Kubra, Egypt
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
El Mahalla El Kubra
🇪🇬 Egypt
$408
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in El Mahalla El Kubra

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 El Mahalla El Kubra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $408 in El Mahalla El Kubra, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • El Mahalla El Kubra $408

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $661 in El Mahalla El Kubra, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • El Mahalla El Kubra $661

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $914 in El Mahalla El Kubra, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • El Mahalla El Kubra $914

Lisbon costs about 440% more than El Mahalla El Kubra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while El Mahalla El Kubra is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.18
$4.15 E£231
310.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.5
$14.14 E£789
340.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.82
$2.99 E£167
268.56%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$1.27 E£70.7
145.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$0.32 E£17.90
609.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.11 E£5.89
1481.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.05
$1.31 E£73.0
161.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$2.89 E£161
29.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$0.85 E£47.50
37.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$0.30 E£16.87
520.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.38
$0.52 E£28.74
196.15%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.62
$1.13 E£63.1
259.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.51
$2.89 E£161
346.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.05
$4.01 E£224
97.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.73
$7.40 E£413
138.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.02
$1.54 E£86.1
46.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$0.65 E£36.21
169.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.69
$0.45 E£25.05
320.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.28
$0.33 E£18.20
675.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$0.24 E£13.30
670.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.30 E£16.53
556.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$0.27 E£15.21
437.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.22 E£12.44
250.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.98
$1.86 E£104
260.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.05
$5.79 E£323
-2.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.19 E£66.2
15.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$2.26 E£126
-6.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$0.20 E£11.11
1060.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.60
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.52
$0.32 E£17.70
1134.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.94
$0.46 E£25.38
128.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.29
$0.91 E£50.9
1784.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.96
$0.43 E£24.23
409.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.1K
$31.8K E£1.8M
6.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.1K
$22.8K E£1.3M
68.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$14.47 E£807
1032.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.47
$3.93 E£219
370.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.38
$8.50 E£474
287.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.88
$15.92 E£888
188.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.65
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.69
$2.79 E£156
249.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €610
$32.18 E£1,795
2025.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$2,084 E£116.2K
745.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.5
$16.89 E£942
514.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.18
$43.76 E£2,441
5.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.9
$101 E£5,630
-1.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$56.4 E£3,146
121.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,417
$131 E£7,322
1110.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,042
$75.4 E£4,204
1450.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,541
$254 E£14.2K
1023.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,776
$144 E£8,011
1287.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,946
$745 E£41.6K
945.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,938
$355 E£19.8K
1144.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
El Mahalla El Kubra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,426
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
21.33
-81.95%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Mahalla El Kubra: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
El Mahalla El Kubra
$75 93.6% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
El Mahalla El Kubra
$111 59.3% $162
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
El Mahalla El Kubra
$71 71.2% $176
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
El Mahalla El Kubra
$27 87.5% $188
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
El Mahalla El Kubra
$98 41.8% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
El Mahalla El Kubra
$22 67.1% $44
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
El Mahalla El Kubra
$3.4 * 94.6% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $131 in El Mahalla El Kubra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $14 in El Mahalla El Kubra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $111 – making El Mahalla El Kubra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇪🇬 El Mahalla El Kubra
🕒 Local time
05:39 5:39 AM
08:39 8:39 AM
3 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
431,052
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon El Mahalla El Kubra 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • El Mahalla El Kubra

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 El Mahalla El Kubra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Lisbon and in El Mahalla El Kubra compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon, $408 in El Mahalla El Kubra – roughly 440% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to El Mahalla El Kubra?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $612 in El Mahalla El Kubra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Lisbon and El Mahalla El Kubra?
Rent is clearly cheaper in El Mahalla El Kubra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $1,589 in Lisbon.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or El Mahalla El Kubra?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $408 in El Mahalla El Kubra. That’s a gap of about 440%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and El Mahalla El Kubra?
Kindergarten costs $684 per month in Lisbon and $32 in El Mahalla El Kubra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in El Mahalla El Kubra, where all-in costs run around $408, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In El Mahalla El Kubra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Lisbon or El Mahalla El Kubra?
Families tend to lean toward El Mahalla El Kubra – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Lisbon or El Mahalla El Kubra safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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