Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Melissia

For one person, living is cheaper in Melissia: $1,449 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Melissia
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Melissia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Melissia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Melissia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,449 in Melissia.

Lisbon $2,210
Melissia $1,449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,216 in Melissia.

Lisbon $3,275
Melissia $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,983 in Melissia.

Lisbon $4,341
Melissia $2,983

Living in Lisbon is roughly 53% more expensive than in Melissia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Melissia 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$11.12 €9.96

49.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$57.8 €51.8

6.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$8.82 €7.90

28.80%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.19 €3.75

-29.12%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.34 €2.09

-2.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.59 €0.53

194.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.43 €3.97

-23.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.89 €4.38

-32.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.81 €1.62

-35.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.45 €1.30

31.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.67 €2.39

-43.45%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.27 €4.72

-23.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$12.08 €10.82

7.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.06 €9.01

-22.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$19.36 €17.34

-8.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.22 €1.99

3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.90 €1.70

-8.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.35 €1.21

37.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.13 €1.91

21.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.16 €1.04

56.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.09 €0.98

80.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.90 €0.80

63.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.16 €1.04

-37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.64 €5.06

16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.93 €8.89

-43.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.07 €1.86

-34.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.39 €2.14

-10.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.37 €1.23

70.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$54.8 €49.09

-18.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.46 €3.99

-13.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.04 €0.93

2.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$16.50 €14.78

-0.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.21 €1.98

-0.45%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.6K €24.7K

24.06%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$24.4K €21.8K

58.87%

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

$161 €144

$199 €178

-19.09%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$25.51 €22.85

-27.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$28.69 €25.69

14.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$53.0 €47.49

-15.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$22.20 €19.88

-13.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.56 €8.56

0.42%

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

$668 €598

$466 €417

43.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,741 €4,246

271.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$90.4 €80.9

12.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$39.22 €35.13

13.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$101 €90.1

-2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$461 €413

249.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$379 €339

214.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$730 €654

285.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$617 €552

226.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$2,471 €2,213

217.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,934 €1,733

136.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,368 €1,225

15.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.48

-14.06%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Melissia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Melissia

$379 26.1% 68.2% $811

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Melissia

$306 21.1% 12.2% $33

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Melissia

$209 14.5% 13.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Melissia

$253 17.5% 19.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Melissia

$160 11% 3.8% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Melissia

$72 5% 13.2% $8.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Melissia

$70 4.8% 10.6% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $461 in Melissia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 15% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $58 in Melissia. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $306, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇷 Melissia

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

15,588

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Melissia 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Melissia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,449 in Melissia, so Melissia is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $461 in Melissia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $466 in Melissia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

It comes down to priorities – Melissia wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.