Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Madeira: $1,599 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Madeira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,599 in Madeira.

Lisbon $2,210
Madeira $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,361 in Madeira.

Lisbon $3,275
Madeira $2,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,124 in Madeira.

Lisbon $4,341
Madeira $3,124

Living in Lisbon is roughly 38% more expensive than in Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Madeira 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$11.47 €10.30

45.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$46.16 €41.47

33.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.23 €8.29

23.08%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.06 €1.85

44.17%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.86 €1.67

23.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.40 €1.26

24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.26 €2.03

50.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.55 €3.19

-6.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.10 €0.99

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.52 €1.37

25.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.61 €1.45

-6.21%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.02 €2.71

33.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$11.20 €10.06

15.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$7.70 €6.92

0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$14.02 €12.60

26.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.36 €2.12

-2.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.41 €1.27

22.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.85 €1.67

0.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.50 €2.25

3.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.52 €1.37

19.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.94 €1.74

1.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.56 €1.40

-5.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.83 €0.75

-13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.14 €5.52

7.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$5.34 €4.80

5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.24 €1.12

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.41 €2.16

-11.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.27 €2.04

2.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$42.12 €37.83

6.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.13 €3.71

-6.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.81 €0.73

32.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$17.47 €15.69

-5.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.91 €1.72

15.18%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$34.7K €31.2K

-1.48%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$39.2K €35.2K

-1.18%

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

$161 €145

$137 €123

17.39%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$21.23 €19.07

-13.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$41.41 €37.19

-20.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$44.27 €39.77

0.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$17.51 €15.73

9.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.15 €7.32

17.79%

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

$668 €600

$476 €428

40.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,168 €7,337

115.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$72.5 €65.1

40.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$38.12 €34.24

16.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$92.4 €83.0

6.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$93.9 €84.4

31.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$910 €817

76.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$725 €651

64.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,465 €1,316

91.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,179 €1,059

70.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,005 €2,700

160.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,314 €2,079

97.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.01

-23.15%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Madeira: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Madeira

$725 45.3% 39.1% $466

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Madeira

$246 15.4% 9.8% $27

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Madeira

$176 11% 27.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Madeira

$200 12.5% 5.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Madeira

$134 8.4% 19.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Madeira

$61 3.8% 5% $3.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Madeira

$59 3.7% 6.1% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $910 in Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $46 in Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $246 per month, with Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Madeira

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

154

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Madeira 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,599 in Madeira, so Madeira is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,399 in Madeira to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $910 in Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $476 in Madeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Madeira is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Madeira is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Madeira are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.