Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lagos

For one person, living is cheaper in Lagos: $2,066 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Lagos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lagos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,066 in Lagos.

Lisbon $2,202
Lagos $2,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,129 in Lagos.

Lisbon $3,274
Lagos $3,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,193 in Lagos.

Lisbon $4,346
Lagos $4,193

Living in Lisbon is roughly 7% more expensive than in Lagos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Lagos 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$12.56 €11.17

35.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$57.0 €50.7

9.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.34 €7.42

32.13%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.76 €2.46

13.04%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.33 €2.07

-2.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.79 €1.59

-2.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.94 €3.51

-13.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.57 €4.06

-18.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.03 €0.92

13.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.44 €2.17

-23.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.11 €1.88

-27.01%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.39 €3.02

19.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$17.47 €15.54

-26.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.02 €7.13

-1.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.21 €13.53

15.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.82 €2.51

-19.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.34 €1.19

30.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.85 €1.64

2.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.67 €2.38

-4.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.06 €1.83

-10.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.05 €1.82

-3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.31 €1.16

10.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.38 €0.33

102.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.93 €5.28

13.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$4.41 €3.92

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.87 €0.78

57.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.83 €2.52

-25.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.71 €1.52

35.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$33.03 €29.38

34.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$5.71 €5.08

-30.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.04 €0.92

0.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.96 €1.74

11.73%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$34.2K €30.4K

-1.26%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$35.8K €31.8K

6.87%

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

$164 €146

$150 €133

9.29%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$21.36 €19.00

-13.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$43.52 €38.71

-24.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$54.2 €48.16

-15.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$28.49 €25.34

-34.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.43 €5.72

51.63%

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

$684 €608

$539 €480

26.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$11.6K €10.3K

52.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$82.3 €73.2

26.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$49.69 €44.20

-7.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$71.1 €63.2

40.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$110 €97.8

13.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,153 €1,026

37.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,112 €989

5.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,425 €2,157

17.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,023 €1,800

-1.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,942 €3,507

97.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$4,884 €4,345

-9.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,231 €1,095

29.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lagos: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Lagos

$1.1K 53.8% 4.9% $57

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Lagos

$277 13.4% 1.3% $3.5

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Lagos

$204 9.9% 17.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Lagos

$215 10.4% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Lagos

$141 6.8% 16.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Lagos

$67 3.2% 2.5% $1.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Lagos

$51 2.5% 19.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,153 in Lagos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $57.0 in Lagos. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $277, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Lagos

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

33,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Lagos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Lagos differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,066 including rent). Lagos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,153 in Lagos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Lagos – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,066 in Lagos versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lagos but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lagos 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 Lagos 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 Lagos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.