Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Guanajuato

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,036 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Guanajuato, Mexico
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Guanajuato
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,036
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Guanajuato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,036 in Guanajuato.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Guanajuato $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,584 in Guanajuato.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Guanajuato $1,584

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,131 in Guanajuato.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Guanajuato $2,131

Living in Lisbon is roughly 113% more expensive than in Guanajuato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Guanajuato is 24% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.85
$13.29 MX$249
25.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.1
$43.45 MX$814
42.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.13
$7.12 MX$133
59.55%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.65
$3.61 MX$67.6
-17.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.04
$1.64 MX$30.78
39.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.94 MX$17.66
85.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.04
$2.63 MX$49.34
29.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.95
$4.98 MX$93.2
-33.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.03
$1.51 MX$28.25
-23.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$2.49 MX$46.70
-23.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.47 MX$27.60
2.72%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.59
$2.39 MX$44.85
68.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.54
$4.76 MX$89.1
171.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.94
$9.33 MX$175
-16.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.85
$11.63 MX$218
52.71%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.77 MX$51.9
-16.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.55 MX$29.04
11.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.87 MX$34.95
-0.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.31
$1.50 MX$28.18
72.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.62
$2.01 MX$37.66
-9.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.85 MX$34.70
6.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$1.53 MX$28.59
-3.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$1.07 MX$20.05
-32.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.87
$4.85 MX$90.9
35.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.00
$10.04 MX$188
-44.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.84 MX$34.55
-26.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$3.25 MX$61.0
-34.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.08
$0.60 MX$11.33
288.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €39.86
$26.83 MX$503
66.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.43
$2.11 MX$39.58
82.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.95
$1.50 MX$28.10
-28.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.69
$8.59 MX$161
91.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.96
$1.46 MX$27.33
50.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.5K
$19.6K MX$367.3K
74.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.5K
$23.0K MX$430.1K
68.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$48.45 MX$908
232.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.43
$19.35 MX$363
-4.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.21
$27.67 MX$518
18.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.74
$30.04 MX$563
48.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.04
$27.18 MX$509
-29.73%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.56
$5.98 MX$112
60.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €596
$203 MX$3,804
228.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$5,520 MX$103.4K
219.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.0
$56.2 MX$1,054
81.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.67
$36.12 MX$677
23.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €87.9
$76.8 MX$1,439
28.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €110
$56.5 MX$1,058
119.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,435
$511 MX$9,580
214.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,062
$300 MX$5,628
296.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,509
$766 MX$14.3K
267.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,796
$383 MX$7,178
425.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €6,994
$1,317 MX$24.7K
495.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,082
$1,091 MX$20.4K
319.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Guanajuato
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,405
$704 MX$13.2K
123.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11.3
-65.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Guanajuato: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Guanajuato
$300 74.8% $890
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Guanajuato
$254 6.8% $18
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Guanajuato
$204 15.7% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Guanajuato
$95 55% $117
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Guanajuato
$102 38.8% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Guanajuato
$42 34.1% $22
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Guanajuato
$39 38.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $511 in Guanajuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $43 in Guanajuato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $254 per month, with Guanajuato cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇲🇽 Guanajuato
🕒 Local time
21:29 9:29 PM
15:29 3:29 PM
6 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
70,068
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Guanajuato 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Guanajuato

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 Guanajuato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Guanajuato?
Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Lisbon or in Guanajuato?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lisbon compared to Guanajuato?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $511 in Guanajuato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Lisbon or in Guanajuato?
Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Lisbon and in Guanajuato?
Dining out is cheaper in Guanajuato – a meal for two runs $43 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lisbon or in Guanajuato?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Guanajuato is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Lisbon or Guanajuato?
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.
How safe is Lisbon compared to Guanajuato?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Guanajuato are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Guanajuato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

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