Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Madurai

For one person, living is cheaper in Madurai: $416 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Madurai
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Madurai Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Madurai

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Madurai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $416 in Madurai.

Lisbon $2,210
Madurai $416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $703 in Madurai.

Lisbon $3,275
Madurai $703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $989 in Madurai.

Lisbon $4,341
Madurai $989

Living in Lisbon is roughly 431% more expensive than in Madurai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Madurai is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$1.71 ₹162

873.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$10.45 ₹992

490.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.23 ₹402

168.56%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.28 ₹216

30.26%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.58 ₹55.1

294.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.25 ₹23.87

596.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.14 ₹203

58.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.72 ₹353

-11.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.55 ₹52.5

110.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.56 ₹53.4

241.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.68 ₹65.0

122.06%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$0.84 ₹79.5

378.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$6.12 ₹581

111.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$2.96 ₹281

162.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.98 ₹283

-22.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.74 ₹70.3

133.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.68 ₹159

10.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.50 ₹47.65

418.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.62 ₹59.2

193.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.70 ₹66.8

181.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.67 ₹63.9

119.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.29 ₹27.13

148.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.16 ₹490

27.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.63 ₹1,010

-47.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.13 ₹202

-36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.44 ₹421

-51.80%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$9.72 ₹923

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.20 ₹18.95

1065.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$10.41 ₹988

329.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.17 ₹111

229.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.33 ₹31.24

224.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$1.29 ₹122

1175.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.11 ₹106

98.20%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

205.48%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$23.7K ₹2.2M

63.49%

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

$161 €144

$23.27 ₹2,210

592.82%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$4.76 ₹452

286.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$7.55 ₹717

333.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$15.81 ₹1,501

181.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$6.46 ₹614

195.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$2.67 ₹253

259.55%

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

$668 €598

$42.17 ₹4,004

1483.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,576 ₹149.6K

1018.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$25.37 ₹2,409

302.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$25.52 ₹2,423

74.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$53.2 ₹5,047

85.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$32.85 ₹3,119

276.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$135 ₹12.8K

1094.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$79.7 ₹7,570

1392.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$433 ₹41.1K

550.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$264 ₹25.0K

663.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$987 ₹93.7K

693.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$440 ₹41.8K

939.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$363 ₹34.4K

334.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

9.59

-59.85%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Madurai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Madurai

$80 19.2% 93.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Madurai

$129 31% 52.6% $143

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Madurai

$75 18% 69% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Madurai

$36 8.6% 83.2% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Madurai

$62 14.8% 62.9% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Madurai

$21 5.1% 66.8% $43

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Madurai

$14 3.4% 77.8% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $135 in Madurai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.3 times 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 in Lisbon vs $10 in Madurai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $129 per month, with Madurai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇳 Madurai

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

12:31 12:31 PM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,700,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Lisbon Madurai 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Madurai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $416 in Madurai, so Madurai is about 81% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.3 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $135 in Madurai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $42 in Madurai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 111% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $416 in Madurai versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Madurai but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Madurai 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.

Expats usually find Madurai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.