Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mechelen Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mechelen

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Lisbon is 31.5% cheaper than Mechelen without rent, and 9.4% more expensive with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Lisbon is 23.8% cheaper than Mechelen without rent, and 3.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.09 €13.89
$23.26 €20.08
-30.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.1 €55.3
$114 €98.7
-43.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.28 €8.88
$12.79 €11.04
-19.62%
Cappuccino
$2.78 €2.4
$4.06 €3.51
-31.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 €1.92
$3.32 €2.87
-32.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 €1.35
$3.14 €2.71
-50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.41 €2.95
$5.72 €4.94
-40.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 €3.3
$4.58 €3.96
-16.59%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €0.98
$1.31 €1.13
-12.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 €1.49
$2.67 €2.31
-35.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 €1.44
$2.35 €2.03
-28.94%
Eggs
$3.13 €2.7
$3.98 €3.44
-21.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.31 €11.5
$17.5 €15.11
-23.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.99 €6.9
$11.94 €10.31
-33.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.97 €13.79
$19.02 €16.42
-16.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 €1.97
$3 €2.59
-24.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.7 €1.47
$2.37 €2.04
-28.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.04 €1.76
$2.28 €1.96
-10.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.55 €2.2
$3.02 €2.61
-15.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 €1.52
$1.91 €1.65
-7.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.05 €1.77
$2.16 €1.86
-5.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.98 €1.71
$1.33 €1.15
48.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 €0.7
$0.81 €0.7
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.59 €5.69
$12.69 €10.95
-48.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.87 €5.07
$9.22 €7.96
-36.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 €1.15
$1.83 €1.58
-27.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 €2.52
$2.36 €2.04
23.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.27 €1.96
$3.16 €2.73
-28.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.15 €39.85
$55.9 €48.29
-17.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.23 €3.66
$5.9 €5.1
-28.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.86 €0.75
$2.46 €2.13
-65.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.68 €16.13
$45.87 €39.6
-59.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.81
$1.84 €1.59
13.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K €29.8K
$33.7K €29.1K
2.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.6K €34.2K
$33.1K €28.6K
19.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 €128
$207 €179
-28.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.98 €18.11
$24.98 €21.57
-16.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.65 €34.24
$50.5 €43.63
-21.55%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.92 €41.37
$31.39 €27.1
52.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.57 €16.03
$13.71 €11.83
35.45%
Cinema Ticket
$9.38 €8.1
$15.09 €13.03
-37.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$607 €524
$582 €502
4.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K €13.9K
$13.4K €11.6K
20.26%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €90.1
$111 €95.4
-5.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.09 €35.48
$51.1 €44.11
-19.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 €80
$106 €91.6
-12.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €102
$160 €139
-26.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,592 €1,375
$893 €771
78.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,262 €1,090
$746 €644
69.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,046 €2,630
$1,373 €1,185
121.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,069 €1,787
$1,119 €966
84.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,280 €6,286
$3,463 €2,990
110.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,549 €3,928
$2,925 €2,526
55.50%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Mechelen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,462 €1,263
$2,397 €2,070
-38.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.81
3.27
16.51%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 28, 2025

Last update for Mechelen: October 28, 2025

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