Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Matera

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,484 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Matera
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Matera Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Matera

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,484 in Matera.

Lisbon $2,210
Matera $1,484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,356 in Matera.

Lisbon $3,275
Matera $2,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,227 in Matera.

Lisbon $4,341
Matera $3,227

Living in Lisbon is roughly 49% more expensive than in Matera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Matera 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$15.29 €13.70

8.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$60.7 €54.4

1.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.34 €10.17

0.18%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.88 €1.68

57.98%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.27 €2.04

0.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.09 €0.97

59.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.74 €5.14

-40.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.58 €1.41

-26.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.72 €1.54

11.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.28 €2.94

-53.96%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.52 €3.16

14.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$15.39 €13.79

-15.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$12.28 €11.01

-36.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$20.84 €18.68

-14.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.63 €2.36

-12.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.16 €1.94

-19.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.13 €1.01

64.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.80 €3.41

-31.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.78 €1.60

2.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.64 €1.47

20.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.46 €1.31

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.47 €0.42

53.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.75 €6.05

-2.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.34 €5.68

-11.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.84 €1.65

-26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.11 €2.79

-31.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.72 €1.54

35.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$20.20 €18.10

121.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.43 €3.97

-13.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.19 €1.07

-10.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$23.74 €21.28

-30.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.02 €1.81

8.91%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.1K €31.5K

-2.65%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$37.3K €33.5K

3.69%

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

$161 €144

$197 €177

-18.36%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$9.37 €8.39

96.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$30.74 €27.54

6.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$55.3 €49.59

-19.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$23.43 €20.99

-18.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.94 €8.90

-3.42%

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

$668 €598

$448 €402

48.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,918 €7,096

122.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$67.2 €60.3

51.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$42.87 €38.41

3.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$105 €94.4

-6.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$135 €121

-8.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$705 €632

128.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$421 €377

182.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,025 €918

174.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$841 €753

139.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,772 €2,484

182.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,179 €2,849

43.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,750 €1,568

-10.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.08

25.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Matera: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Matera

$421 28.3% 64.6% $769

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Matera

$328 22.1% 20.5% $56

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Matera

$228 15.3% 6.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Matera

$238 16% 11.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Matera

$158 10.6% 5% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Matera

$75 5.1% 18% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Matera

$37 2.5% 40.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $705 in Matera. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Matera pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $61 in Matera. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $328, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Matera

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

59,607

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Matera 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min 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 Matera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,484 in Matera, so Matera is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $705 in Matera. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,484 in Matera – Matera is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Matera 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 Matera are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.