Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Melun

For one person, living is cheaper in Melun: $1,687 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Melun
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Melun Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Melun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,687 in Melun.

Lisbon $2,202
Melun $1,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,511 in Melun.

Lisbon $3,274
Melun $2,511

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,335 in Melun.

Lisbon $4,346
Melun $3,335

Living in Lisbon is roughly 31% more expensive than in Melun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Melun 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$12.73 €11.32

33.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$53.1 €47.20

17.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$13.41 €11.93

-17.82%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.99 €2.66

4.35%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.68 €1.50

35.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.73 €1.54

0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$7.44 €6.62

-54.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$5.63 €5.00

-33.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.32 €1.17

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.89 €1.68

-1.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.86 €2.54

-46.15%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.17 €3.70

-2.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$21.19 €18.85

-39.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$12.88 €11.46

-38.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$22.95 €20.41

-23.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.31 €2.94

-31.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.12 €1.88

-17.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.35 €2.09

-19.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.08 €2.74

-16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.82 €1.62

1.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.99 €1.77

-1.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.77 €1.58

-18.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.63 €0.56

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$13.92 €12.38

-51.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$8.20 €7.29

-30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.46 €2.19

-44.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.27 €3.80

-50.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.95 €1.73

18.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$47.25 €42.03

-5.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.21 €1.97

78.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.16 €1.92

-51.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$23.81 €21.18

-27.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.23 €1.98

-1.79%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$34.1K €30.3K

-0.88%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$34.3K €30.5K

11.67%

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

$164 €146

$197 €176

-16.97%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$15.10 €13.43

22.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$28.14 €25.03

17.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$35.17 €31.29

30.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.97 €8.87

-2.21%

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

$684 €608

$623 €554

9.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$8,092 €7,197

117.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$86.6 €77.0

19.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.76 €36.25

13.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$103 €92.1

-3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$102 €90.4

22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$742 €660

114.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$561 €499

108.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,193 €1,061

139.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$883 €785

125.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,959 €3,522

96.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,978 €2,649

48.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,499 €2,223

-35.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.92

-1.79%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melun: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Melun

$561 33.2% 52% $608

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Melun

$372 22.1% 36.4% $99

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Melun

$240 14.2% 3% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Melun

$241 14.3% 11.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Melun

$150 8.9% 11.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Melun

$55 3.3% 15.7% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Melun

$68 4% 8.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $742 in Melun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melun pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $53.0 in Melun. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $372, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Melun

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

42,367

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Melun 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Melun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Melun differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,687 including rent). Melun is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Melun. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $742 in Melun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $623 in Melun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 36% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,687 in Melun versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Melun but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Melun 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 Melun 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 Melun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.