Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mahdia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $561 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
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Mahdia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mahdia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $561 in Mahdia.

Lisbon $2,202
Mahdia $561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $887 in Mahdia.

Lisbon $3,274
Mahdia $887

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,214 in Mahdia.

Lisbon $4,346
Mahdia $1,214

Living in Lisbon is roughly 293% more expensive than in Mahdia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Mahdia is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.54 TND 7.61

570.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$19.76 TND 59.2

215.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.00 TND 14.99

120.40%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$0.98 TND 2.94

218.37%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.62 TND 1.87

266.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.17 TND 0.50

923.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.03 TND 3.07

232.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.55 TND 4.65

141.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.43 TND 1.28

172.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.28 TND 0.84

564.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.33 TND 3.98

15.79%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.54 TND 4.60

163.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.75 TND 35.18

9.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$5.06 TND 15.15

56.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.81 TND 44.37

19.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.91 TND 8.71

-22.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.79 TND 8.37

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.40 TND 4.19

35.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$0.72 TND 2.16

255.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.64 TND 1.91

189.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.33 TND 0.99

496.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.41 TND 1.22

253.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.33 TND 0.98

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.61 TND 10.82

85.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$3.29 TND 9.87

72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.57 TND 4.71

-12.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.26 TND 3.78

67.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.33 TND 0.99

603.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$13.27 TND 39.75

234.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.29 TND 0.86

1262.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.26 TND 0.77

303.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.89 TND 2.67

146.07%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$39.7K TND 118.8K

-14.83%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.5K TND 121.2K

-5.44%

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

$164 €146

$56.7 TND 170

188.91%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$7.30 TND 21.87

153.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$20.30 TND 60.8

62.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$20.78 TND 62.2

120.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$7.50 TND 22.46

149.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.76 TND 20.25

44.23%

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

$684 €608

$109 TND 326

528.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$998 TND 2,989

1665.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$38.75 TND 116

167.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$34.18 TND 102

35.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$78.5 TND 235

27.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$23.12 TND 69.2

439.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$129 TND 385

1135.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$99.7 TND 298

1073.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$300 TND 899

849.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$174 TND 521

1045.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$681 TND 2,041

1043.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$202 TND 604

2091.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$236 TND 707

577.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.33

-62.73%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mahdia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Mahdia

$100 17.8% 91.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Mahdia

$189 33.7% 30.7% $84

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Mahdia

$59 10.4% 76.3% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Mahdia

$84 15% 60.8% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Mahdia

$79 14% 53.4% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Mahdia

$34 6.1% 47.5% $31

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mahdia

$16 2.9% 74.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $129 in Mahdia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 578% 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 $20.00 in Mahdia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $189 per month, with Mahdia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

79,545

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Mahdia 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Mahdia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Mahdia differ by about 293% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $561 including rent). Mahdia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 578% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $129 in Mahdia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $109 in Mahdia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $561 in Mahdia versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mahdia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mahdia 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 Mahdia 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 Mahdia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 293% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.