Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Medina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $1,364 in Medina.

Lisbon $2,203
Medina $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $1,816 in Medina.

Lisbon $3,237
Medina $1,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $2,268 in Medina.

Lisbon $4,272
Medina $2,268

Living in Lisbon is roughly 61% more expensive than in Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Medina 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$5.53 SAR 20.75

207.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

$32.09 SAR 120

95.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$8.20 SAR 30.78

39.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$2.70 SAR 10.15

14.44%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$0.76 SAR 2.84

211.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.25 SAR 0.95

564.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.49 SAR 5.61

-21.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.92 SAR 3.44

103.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$2.32 SAR 8.70

-34.48%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$2.09 SAR 7.84

85.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$5.44 SAR 20.44

136.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$7.03 SAR 26.39

12.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$12.49 SAR 46.90

41.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.42 SAR 9.10

-6.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.98 SAR 7.42

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.29 SAR 8.60

-17.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.55 SAR 5.83

59.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.36 SAR 5.12

36.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.37 SAR 5.14

51.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.93 SAR 3.49

49.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.71 SAR 2.68

14.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$7.54 SAR 28.32

-8.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.05 SAR 3.94

113.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.29

$36.80 SAR 138

22.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$1.36 SAR 5.12

194.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-36.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

$5.71 SAR 21.44

189.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$0.64 SAR 2.41

253.12%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

-19.85%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

96.03%

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

$164 €146

$149 SAR 558

10.07%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$27.41 SAR 103

-32.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.64

$90.7 SAR 341

-63.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$78.9 SAR 296

-41.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

$9.01 SAR 33.83

108.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$13.51 SAR 50.7

-29.90%

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

$690 €615

$294 SAR 1,103

134.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

207.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$36.85 SAR 138

184.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

$54.4 SAR 204

-16.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$67.0 SAR 252

47.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$70.0 SAR 263

76.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$570 SAR 2,139

177.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$529 SAR 1,988

128.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$779 SAR 2,926

263.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$573 SAR 2,151

242.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

$2,309 SAR 8,670

231.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

$1,356 SAR 5,091

226.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$1,244 SAR 4,671

26.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

4.17

-9.11%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Medina

$529 39.2% 56.2% $680

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Medina

$191 14.1% 29.9% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Medina

$105 7.8% 57.4% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Medina

$267 19.7% 23.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Medina

$103 7.6% 38.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Medina

$106 7.8% 63% $41

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Medina

$51 3.8% 20% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $570 in Medina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 26% 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: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $32.00 in Medina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $191 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,100,093

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Medina 4,820 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Medina differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $1,364 including rent). Medina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $570 in Medina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Lisbon versus $294 in Medina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,364 in Medina versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Medina but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Medina 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 Medina 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 Medina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.