Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Madrid

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Madrid: $2,202 and $2,265 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Madrid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Lisbon $2,202
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,311 in Madrid.

Lisbon $3,274
Madrid $3,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,356 in Madrid.

Lisbon $4,346
Madrid $4,356

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 3% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Madrid 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$18.06 €16.06

-5.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$66.5 €59.2

-6.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.40 €10.14

-3.33%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.03 €2.69

2.97%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.25 €2.89

-30.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.32 €2.07

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.85 €3.42

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.82 €4.29

-22.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.32 €1.18

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.61 €1.43

15.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.75 €1.56

-12.00%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$16.34 €14.54

-20.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.61 €8.55

-17.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$17.43 €15.50

1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.63 €2.34

-14.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.18 €1.93

-19.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.50 €2.22

-24.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.60 €2.32

-1.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.25 €2.01

-17.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.08 €1.85

-5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.56 €1.39

-7.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.08 €0.96

-28.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.70 €5.96

0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.82 €6.95

-27.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.22 €1.08

12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.25 €2.00

-6.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.63 €1.45

42.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$37.72 €33.56

17.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.81 €3.39

3.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.49 €1.33

-29.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$29.99 €26.68

-42.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.79 €1.59

22.35%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$33.7K €29.9K

0.39%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$33.3K €29.6K

15.07%

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

$164 €146

$190 €169

-13.91%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$17.57 €15.63

5.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$35.34 €31.43

-6.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$49.52 €44.04

-7.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$18.20 €16.19

2.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.09 €9.87

-12.08%

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

$684 €608

$684 €609

-0.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$18.2K €16.2K

-3.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$87.8 €78.1

18.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$42.06 €37.41

9.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$111 €98.3

-9.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$113 €100

10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,509 €1,342

5.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,162 €1,034

0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,804 €2,494

1.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,867 €1,661

6.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$9,017 €8,021

-13.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$4,294 €3,819

2.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,495 €2,219

-35.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.14

22.61%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3% 0.6% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Madrid

$308 13.6% 12.6% $35

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Madrid

$266 11.8% 7.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Madrid

$243 10.7% 13% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Madrid

$159 7% 5.7% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 9.7% $6.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Madrid

$56 2.5% 11.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,509 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 56% 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 $66.0 in Madrid for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $308 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Madrid 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Madrid differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,265 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Madrid. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,509 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $684 in Madrid. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Madrid 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.