Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mashhad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $478 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $478 in Mashhad.

Lisbon $2,223
Mashhad $478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $769 in Mashhad.

Lisbon $3,271
Mashhad $769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,060 in Mashhad.

Lisbon $4,319
Mashhad $1,060

Living in Lisbon is roughly 365% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.94 $2.94

461.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$18.79 $18.79

225.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.97 $4.97

126.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.57 $0.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 $0.91

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$1.08 $1.08

183.33%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.43 $0.43

425.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.26 $0.26

565.38%

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

$0.65 $0.65

72.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.21 $0.21

785.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.93 $1.93

-20.73%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.16 $1.16

241.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$2.10 $2.10

507.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$2.75 $2.75

187.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.32 $10.32

64.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.89 $0.89

155.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.55 $1.55

12.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.85 $0.85

117.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$0.58 $0.58

343.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.49 $0.49

279.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.44 $0.44

359.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.52 $0.52

176.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.29 $0.29

182.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.93 $0.93

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 $0.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.05 $3.05

115.08%

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

$0.02 $0.02

11650.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$3.68 $3.68

1100.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.18 $0.18

2116.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.48 $0.48

127.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$2.02 $2.02

723.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.83 $0.83

174.70%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$60.8K $60.8K

-44.57%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$66.2K $66.2K

-40.63%

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

$167 €149

$13.84 $13.84

1110.19%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$2.64 $2.64

612.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$27.25 $27.25

21.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$19.18 $19.18

139.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$15.12 $15.12

26.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$2.05 $2.05

380.00%

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

$677 €602

$41.26 $41.26

1541.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$628 $628

2595.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$20.15 $20.15

402.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$38.41 $38.41

19.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$94.7 $94.7

5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$68.8 $68.8

78.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$215 $215

651.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$151 $151

692.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$401 $401

613.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$269 $269

640.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,140 $1,140

564.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$685 $685

528.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$250 $250

535.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

21.5

-82.09%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Mashhad

$151 31.6% 87.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Mashhad

$100 20.9% 62.9% $170

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Mashhad

$54 11.3% 77.6% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Mashhad

$44 9.1% 80.1% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mashhad

$100 20.9% 39.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Mashhad

$23 4.9% 64.5% $42

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Mashhad

$6.3 1.3% 90% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $215 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 536% 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 $19.00 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $100 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

06:54 6:54 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,001,184

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Mashhad 5,920 km ≈ 8 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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Mashhad differ by about 365% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $478 including rent). Mashhad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 536% 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 $215 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $41.26 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 170% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $478 in Mashhad versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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 Mashhad 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 Mashhad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 365% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.