Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Marseille

For one person, living is cheaper in Marseille: $2,045 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Marseille
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Marseille Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Marseille

🇫🇷 France

$2,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Marseille

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,045 in Marseille.

Lisbon $2,206
Marseille $2,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $3,211 in Marseille.

Lisbon $3,276
Marseille $3,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,377 in Marseille.

Lisbon $4,346
Marseille $4,377

Living in Lisbon is roughly 8% more expensive than in Marseille.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Marseille 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.08

$17.01 €15.21

-0.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.6

$73.0 €65.3

-16.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.82

$13.56 €12.13

-19.03%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.73

$3.49 €3.12

-12.61%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$3.14 €2.81

-27.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.95 €1.74

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$6.88 €6.15

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.49

$6.57 €5.87

-40.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.27 €1.14

-9.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.49 €2.23

-24.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$3.06 €2.74

-50.98%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.68

$4.84 €4.33

-14.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.63

$26.99 €24.13

-51.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.19

$14.46 €12.93

-44.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €16.00

$26.82 €23.98

-33.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$3.77 €3.37

-39.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.46 €2.20

-29.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$4.62 €4.13

-60.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$3.93 €3.52

-31.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$3.07 €2.74

-42.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.41 €2.15

-19.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.95 €1.74

-25.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.37 €1.22

-44.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.95

$13.91 €12.43

-52.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$9.14 €8.17

-38.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$3.21 €2.87

-59.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.43 €3.96

-51.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.06 €1.84

11.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.36

$45.50 €40.68

-3.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.56

$2.64 €2.36

50.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.28 €1.14

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.92

$39.57 €35.38

-52.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.30 €2.06

-0.87%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$34.3K €30.7K

-2.84%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$38.9K €34.7K

-0.89%

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

$158 €141

$189 €169

-16.51%

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

$17.54 €15.68

$17.74 €15.86

-1.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.89

$36.34 €32.49

-14.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.92

$35.07 €31.36

27.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.97

$28.55 €25.53

-33.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.56

$14.60 €13.05

-34.38%

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

$674 €602

$862 €771

-21.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$11.4K €10.2K

64.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$91.8 €82.1

11.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €41.04

$53.2 €47.56

-13.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.4

$118 €105

-13.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$152 €136

-19.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,467

$852 €761

92.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,062

$745 €666

59.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,526

$1,707 €1,526

65.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,805

$1,408 €1,259

43.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €7,007

$5,121 €4,580

52.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,204

$3,430 €3,067

37.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,508

$2,637 €2,358

-36.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.91

-2.30%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Marseille: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Marseille

$745 36.4% 37.3% $442

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Marseille

$456 22.3% 66.1% $182

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Marseille

$287 14% 16.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Marseille

$244 11.9% 17.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Marseille

$187 9.1% 11.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Marseille

$64 3.1% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Marseille

$63 3.1% 3.9% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $852 in Marseille. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marseille pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $73 in Marseille for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $456 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Marseille

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

23:07 11:07 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

873,076

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Marseille 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Marseille: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $852 in Marseille. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $862 in Marseille. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 40% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Marseille is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Marseille are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.