Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Malindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $520 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Malindi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $520 in Malindi.

Lisbon $2,223
Malindi $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $806 in Malindi.

Lisbon $3,271
Malindi $806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,092 in Malindi.

Lisbon $4,319
Malindi $1,092

Living in Lisbon is roughly 328% more expensive than in Malindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Malindi is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.06 KES 267

700.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$24.99 KES 3,241

145.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.58 KES 1,372

6.52%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.76 KES 358

10.87%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.68 KES 88.8

232.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.52 KES 67.2

232.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.35 KES 304

44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.31 KES 429

2.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.90 KES 116

24.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.54 KES 69.8

244.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.27 KES 164

20.47%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.79 KES 232

121.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$11.74 KES 1,522

8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$4.81 KES 624

64.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$4.99 KES 647

240.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.08 KES 269

9.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$0.73 KES 94.7

139.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.82 KES 236

1.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$0.67 KES 87.2

283.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.68 KES 87.6

173.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.67 KES 87.5

201.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.59 KES 76.6

144.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.43 KES 55.3

90.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$4.06 KES 526

61.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$9.88 KES 1,281

-43.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.95 KES 253

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.91 KES 377

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.03 KES 393

31.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.70 KES 221

-35.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$4.66 KES 604

257.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.43 KES 186

59.44%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

174.67%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$11.8K KES 1.5M

232.70%

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

$167 €149

$77.9 KES 10.1K

115.12%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$9.43 KES 1,223

99.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$31.35 KES 4,065

5.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$39.09 KES 5,069

17.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$15.22 KES 1,974

-35.35%

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

$677 €602

$87.5 KES 11.3K

673.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$5,349 KES 693.5K

216.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$13.08 KES 1,696

674.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$13.47 KES 1,746

239.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$23.22 KES 3,010

330.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$46.29 KES 6,002

165.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$378 KES 49.0K

656.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-70.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Malindi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Malindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Malindi

$172 33.2% 36% $97

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Malindi

$105 20.1% 56.8% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Malindi

$119 22.8% 45.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Malindi

$43 8.3% 74% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Malindi

$70 13.4% 5.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Malindi

$12 * 2.2% 81.7% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $25.00 in Malindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $172 per month, with Malindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇰🇪 Malindi

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

22:00 10:00 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

117,735

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Malindi 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Malindi

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 Malindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Malindi differ by about 328% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $520 including rent). Malindi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $780 in Malindi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

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

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $520 in Malindi – a 328% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $520 in Malindi versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Malindi but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Malindi 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 Malindi 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 Malindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 328% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.