Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Matara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $576 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
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Matara Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$576

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Matara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $576 in Matara.

Lisbon $2,210
Matara $576

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $839 in Matara.

Lisbon $3,275
Matara $839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,102 in Matara.

Lisbon $4,341
Matara $1,102

Living in Lisbon is roughly 284% more expensive than in Matara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Matara is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$3.73 LKR 1,241

346.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$24.54 LKR 8,159

151.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.53 LKR 2,503

50.86%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.44 LKR 810

21.72%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.67 LKR 222

241.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.25 LKR 83.1

596.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.23 LKR 741

52.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.06 LKR 1,017

8.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.56 LKR 519

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.53 LKR 177

260.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.76 LKR 253

98.68%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.53 LKR 509

162.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.58 LKR 4,514

-4.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$4.84 LKR 1,609

60.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$7.26 LKR 2,415

144.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$6.71 LKR 2,230

-65.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$0.43 LKR 142

302.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.46 LKR 1,481

-58.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$0.91 LKR 302

184.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.92 LKR 306

97.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.58 LKR 193

239.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.89 LKR 295

65.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.46 LKR 151

56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.85 LKR 3,276

-33.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$12.94 LKR 4,303

-56.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.79 LKR 596

-24.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.00 LKR 997

-28.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.31 LKR 104

651.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.40 LKR 133

862.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.35 LKR 115

205.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$0.95 LKR 317

1632.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.38 LKR 458

59.42%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-22.72%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-6.33%

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

$161 €145

$46.17 LKR 15.4K

249.19%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$4.22 LKR 1,403

336.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$20.99 LKR 6,977

55.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.60 LKR 1,530

108.70%

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

$668 €600

$38.17 LKR 12.7K

1649.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,204 LKR 400.4K

1362.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$18.04 LKR 5,997

465.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$16.90 LKR 5,618

163.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$78.9 LKR 26.2K

24.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

196.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$179 LKR 59.6K

797.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$90.1 LKR 30.0K

1220.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$105 LKR 34.8K

1405.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

12.69

-69.66%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Matara: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Matara

$90 15.7% 92.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Matara

$229 39.8% 15.9% $43

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Matara

$103 17.8% 57.7% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Matara

$71 12.4% 66.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Matara

$70 12.2% 57.8% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Matara

$9.2 * 1.6% 85.6% $55

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6% 94.6% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $179 in Matara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $25 in Matara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $229 per month, with Matara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇰 Matara

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

02:49 2:49 AM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

100,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Matara 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Matara

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 Matara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $576 in Matara, so Matara is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 15 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $179 in Matara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $576 in Matara – Matara is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $576 in Matara versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matara but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Matara 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 Matara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Matara wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.