Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Madona

For one person, living is cheaper in Madona: $1,128 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Madona
🇱🇻 Latvia
$1,128
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Madona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,128 in Madona.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Madona $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,730 in Madona.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Madona $1,730

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,331 in Madona.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Madona $2,331

Living in Lisbon is roughly 95% more expensive than in Madona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Madona is 17% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$16.87 €15.00
1.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$66.8 €59.4
-6.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$9.28 €8.25
18.75%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$3.75 €3.33
-16.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.57 €1.40
44.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.20 €1.06
45.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$5.60 €4.98
-38.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$4.91 €4.37
-23.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.20 €1.07
-2.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.48 €1.32
25.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$2.48 €2.21
-37.90%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$3.60 €3.20
12.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$10.34 €9.20
24.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$8.48 €7.54
-6.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$13.57 €12.07
29.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.09 €1.86
8.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.77 €1.57
-1.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$2.49 €2.21
-24.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$3.21 €2.85
-20.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$0.82 €0.73
125.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$0.90 €0.80
118.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.74 €1.55
-16.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.87 €0.78
-11.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$6.85 €6.09
-2.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$7.64 €6.79
-25.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$2.02 €1.80
-32.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$2.09 €1.86
0.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$3.42 €3.05
15.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$0.98 €0.87
7.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$17.80 €15.83
-3.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$2.08 €1.85
5.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$26.9K €23.9K
25.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$30.3K €27.0K
26.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$365 €325
-55.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$19.58 €17.42
-5.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$19.97 €17.76
65.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$28.19 €25.07
62.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$5.53 €4.92
76.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$668 €594
2.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$17.9K €15.9K
-1.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$69.9 €62.2
48.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$51.0 €45.37
-9.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$86.8 €77.2
14.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$138 €123
-9.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Madona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.77
-19.29%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Madona: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Madona
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Madona
$264 3.5% $9.5
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Madona
$257 3.7% $9.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Madona
$405 88% $189
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Madona
$155 7.7% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Madona
$39 40% $26
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Madona
$8.3 * 86.8% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $67.0 in Madona. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $264, with Madona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇱🇻 Madona
🕒 Local time
23:05 11:05 PM
01:05 1:05 AM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
7,800
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Madona 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Madona

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 Madona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Madona?
Lisbon and Madona differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,128 including rent). Madona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Madona?
You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $1,692 in Madona 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.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Madona?
All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,128 in Madona – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,128 in Madona versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Madona but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Madona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Madona?
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.
Is Lisbon or Madona safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Madona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Madona?
Expats usually find Madona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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