Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mahboula

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahboula: $1,239 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Mahboula
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Mahboula Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mahboula

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mahboula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,239 in Mahboula.

Lisbon $2,210
Mahboula $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,004 in Mahboula.

Lisbon $3,275
Mahboula $2,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,769 in Mahboula.

Lisbon $4,341
Mahboula $2,769

Living in Lisbon is roughly 78% more expensive than in Mahboula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Mahboula is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$6.57 KWD 2.04

153.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$25.24 KWD 7.84

144.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.92 KWD 2.77

27.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 KWD 0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 KWD 1.01

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.15 KWD 1.60

-42.33%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.49 KWD 0.15

367.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.14 KWD 0.04

1142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.63 KWD 0.51

-28.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.99 KWD 0.31

92.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.87 KWD 0.58

-19.25%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.30 KWD 0.40

209.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$4.48 KWD 1.39

188.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.58 KWD 2.04

18.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$10.41 KWD 3.24

70.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.50 KWD 0.78

-8.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.95 KWD 0.60

-11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.78 KWD 0.55

4.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.15 KWD 0.36

125.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.32 KWD 0.41

37.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.11 KWD 0.35

77.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.27 KWD 0.70

-35.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.49 KWD 0.15

46.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.13 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 KWD 0.33

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$1.58 KWD 0.49

316.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.78 KWD 0.24

198.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$49.06 KWD 15.24

-8.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.57 KWD 0.49

145.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.60 KWD 0.50

-33.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$5.50 KWD 1.71

199.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.15 KWD 0.05

1366.67%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$19.6K KWD 6,096

74.30%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$17.5K KWD 5,449

120.84%

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

$161 €144

$65.7 KWD 20.43

145.28%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$16.29 KWD 5.06

13.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$30.36 KWD 9.44

7.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$97.6 KWD 30.32

-54.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$47.79 KWD 14.85

-60.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$12.67 KWD 3.94

-24.23%

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

$668 €598

$379 KWD 118

76.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,632 KWD 2,061

165.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$38.09 KWD 11.84

167.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$39.40 KWD 12.24

12.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$97.3 KWD 30.23

1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$88.6 KWD 27.52

39.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$737 KWD 229

118.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$505 KWD 157

135.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,769 KWD 550

58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,118 KWD 347

80.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,275 KWD 396

23.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.53

-41.04%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mahboula: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mahboula

$505 40.8% 57.5% $685

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mahboula

$175 14.1% 35.8% $98

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mahboula

$144 11.6% 40.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mahboula

$112 9.1% 47.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mahboula

$119 9.6% 28.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mahboula

$123 9.9% 92.8% $59

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mahboula

$62 5% 2.3% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $737 in Mahboula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 23% 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 $25 in Mahboula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $175 per month, with Mahboula cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇰🇼 Mahboula

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

18,178

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 KWD = 3.22 USD

1 KWD = 2.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Mahboula 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Mahboula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,239 in Mahboula, so Mahboula is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $737 in Mahboula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $379 in Mahboula. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,239 in Mahboula versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mahboula but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mahboula 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 Mahboula are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Mahboula wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.