Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,386 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Meilen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,386 in Meilen.

Lisbon $2,210
Meilen $3,386

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,977 in Meilen.

Lisbon $3,275
Meilen $5,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $8,568 in Meilen.

Lisbon $4,341
Meilen $8,568

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 35% less than in Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Meilen 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$32.96 CHF 27.19

-49.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$120 CHF 98.8

-48.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$16.48 CHF 13.60

-31.07%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$6.36 CHF 5.24

-53.30%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$5.76 CHF 4.75

-60.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$5.25 CHF 4.33

-66.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$8.63 CHF 7.12

-60.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$8.56 CHF 7.06

-61.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-46.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-44.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.74 CHF 3.08

-59.63%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$7.85 CHF 6.48

-48.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$26.09 CHF 21.52

-50.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$25.84 CHF 21.32

-69.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$39.94 CHF 32.94

-55.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.49 CHF 2.88

-34.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.11 CHF 1.74

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.71 CHF 2.24

-31.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-42.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-12.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-9.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.36 CHF 1.94

-37.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.26 CHF 1.04

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.05 CHF 9.12

-40.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$13.29 CHF 10.96

-57.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-39.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-32.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$4.43 CHF 3.65

-47.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$102 CHF 84.2

-56.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$7.64 CHF 6.30

-49.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-76.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$87.5 CHF 72.2

-81.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.19 CHF 1.81

0.46%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-11.53%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-0.61%

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

$161 €144

$234 CHF 193

-31.05%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$38.39 CHF 31.67

-52.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$64.6 CHF 53.3

-49.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$90.9 CHF 75.0

-50.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$45.64 CHF 37.65

-58.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$23.65 CHF 19.51

-59.41%

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

$668 €598

$2,822 CHF 2,328

-76.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$42.6K CHF 35.2K

-58.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$138 CHF 114

-26.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$58.1 CHF 47.96

-23.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$145 CHF 120

-32.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$175 CHF 144

-29.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,778 CHF 1,466

-9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,463 CHF 1,207

-18.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,894 CHF 2,388

-2.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$4,088 CHF 3,372

-50.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$16.4K CHF 13.5K

-52.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

-63.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$8,262 CHF 6,815

-80.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

1.72

123.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Meilen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.2% 22.9% $273

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Meilen

$572 16.9% 110% $300

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Meilen

$494 14.6% 104% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Meilen

$337 10% 58.6% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Meilen

$232 6.9% 40% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Meilen

$138 4.1% 117% $74

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Meilen

$150 4.4% 137% $87

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,778 in Meilen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Meilen pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $120 in Meilen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $572 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

00:13 12:13 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,515

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Meilen 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Meilen

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 Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,386 in Meilen, so Lisbon is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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 $1,778 in Meilen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,822 in Meilen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Meilen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,386 in Meilen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Meilen. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Meilen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Meilen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.