Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,530 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Male

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,530 in Male.

Lisbon $2,223
Male $1,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,451 in Male.

Lisbon $3,271
Male $2,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,373 in Male.

Lisbon $4,319
Male $3,373

Living in Lisbon is roughly 45% more expensive than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Male 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$5.82 MVR 89.7

183.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$39.04 MVR 602

56.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.84 MVR 152

14.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 MVR 74.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 MVR 75.5

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.51 MVR 54.1

-12.82%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.67 MVR 25.69

35.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.31 MVR 4.80

458.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.99 MVR 30.68

-43.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.69 MVR 26.08

10.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.25 MVR 19.33

22.40%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.88 MVR 29.07

110.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.61 MVR 164

20.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$6.16 MVR 95.0

28.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.56 MVR 147

77.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-42.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.98 MVR 45.98

-41.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.03 MVR 62.1

-54.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.73 MVR 42.16

-5.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.08 MVR 32.01

-10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.87 MVR 28.77

8.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.12 MVR 32.73

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.59 MVR 9.09

38.98%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.47 MVR 192

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MVR 40.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 MVR 29.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$15.18 MVR 234

-56.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.67 MVR 10.26

250.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$30.32 MVR 467

45.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.99 MVR 30.69

100.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.98 MVR 30.55

-44.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$10.20 MVR 157

63.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.98 MVR 15.19

132.65%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.1K MVR 495.0K

4.90%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$29.2K MVR 451.0K

34.34%

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

$167 €149

$119 MVR 1,829

41.21%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$30.12 MVR 465

-37.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$73.9 MVR 1,140

-55.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$71.4 MVR 1,100

-35.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$33.67 MVR 519

-43.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$9.76 MVR 150

0.82%

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

$677 €602

$181 MVR 2,797

273.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$3,056 MVR 47.1K

453.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$39.52 MVR 609

156.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$49.45 MVR 763

-7.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$85.8 MVR 1,323

16.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$52.6 MVR 812

133.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$938 MVR 14.5K

72.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$709 MVR 10.9K

68.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,012 MVR 31.0K

42.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,570 MVR 24.2K

26.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,213 MVR 34.1K

242.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,385 MVR 21.4K

211.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$842 MVR 13.0K

88.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-72.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Male: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Male

$709 46.4% 40.7% $488

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Male

$234 15.3% 13.2% $36

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Male

$126 8.2% 48% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Male

$223 14.6% 1.5% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Male

$102 6.7% 38.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Male

$91 5.9% 38.3% $25

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Male

$45 2.9% 28.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $938 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 89% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $39.00 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $234 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

4 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.34 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Male 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Male differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,530 including rent). Male is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 89% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $938 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $181 in Male. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,530 in Male versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Male but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Male 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 Male 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 Male gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.