Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mechelen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mechelen: $2,074 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Mechelen
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Mechelen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mechelen

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mechelen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,074 in Mechelen.

Lisbon $2,210
Mechelen $2,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,188 in Mechelen.

Lisbon $3,275
Mechelen $3,188

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,302 in Mechelen.

Lisbon $4,341
Mechelen $4,302

Living in Lisbon is roughly 7% more expensive than in Mechelen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Mechelen 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$22.32 €20.00

-25.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$107 €95.9

-42.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$13.53 €12.13

-16.04%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.34 €3.89

-31.57%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.39 €3.04

-32.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.91 €2.61

-40.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.55 €4.97

-38.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.60 €5.02

-40.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.20 €1.08

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.76 €2.47

-30.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.13 €1.91

-29.11%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.83 €3.44

4.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$16.26 €14.57

-20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.87 €10.64

-34.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$19.65 €17.60

-9.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.72 €2.44

-15.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.35 €2.11

-26.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.61 €2.34

-28.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.89 €2.59

-10.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.12 €1.90

-14.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.85 €1.66

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.30 €1.17

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.06 €0.95

-32.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$13.01 €11.66

-49.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.02 €8.09

-37.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.83 €1.64

-25.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.21 €1.98

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.32 €2.98

-29.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$54.8 €49.14

-18.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.53 €4.95

-30.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.71 €2.43

-60.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$45.54 €40.81

-63.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.10 €1.88

4.76%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.2K €31.5K

-2.88%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$36.2K €32.4K

7.01%

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

$161 €144

$210 €188

-23.13%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$22.19 €19.88

-17.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$46.71 €41.86

-29.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$29.40 €26.34

51.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$13.54 €12.14

41.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$15.83 €14.19

-39.36%

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

$668 €598

$565 €506

18.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$21.1K €18.9K

-16.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$108 €96.8

-5.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$49.50 €44.35

-10.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$106 €95.2

-7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$148 €132

-16.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$929 €832

73.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$783 €702

51.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,446 €1,296

94.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,254 €1,123

60.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$4,968 €4,452

57.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,626 €3,249

26.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,178 €1,952

-27.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.53

9.07%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mechelen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mechelen

$783 37.8% 34.2% $407

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mechelen

$343 16.5% 25.8% $70

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mechelen

$335 16.2% 38.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mechelen

$279 13.4% 31.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mechelen

$185 8.9% 11.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mechelen

$61 2.9% 4.2% $2.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mechelen

$87 4.2% 38% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $929 in Mechelen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mechelen pays 38% 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 $107 in Mechelen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $343 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇪 Mechelen

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

80,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Mechelen 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Mechelen

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 Mechelen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,074 in Mechelen, so Mechelen is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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 $929 in Mechelen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $565 in Mechelen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Mechelen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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