Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mendrisio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,034 in Mendrisio.

Lisbon $2,223
Mendrisio $3,034

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,758 in Mendrisio.

Lisbon $3,271
Mendrisio $3,758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,483 in Mendrisio.

Lisbon $4,319
Mendrisio $4,483

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 27% less than in Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Mendrisio 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$34.26 CHF 28.21

-51.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$177 CHF 146

-65.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.02

$18.99 CHF 15.64

-40.65%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-36.25%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$5.41 CHF 4.46

-58.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-60.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$8.36 CHF 6.88

-59.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$7.03 CHF 5.79

-51.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-48.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.70 CHF 3.04

-49.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$4.15 CHF 3.42

-63.13%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-43.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$25.44 CHF 20.95

-49.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$28.11 CHF 23.15

-71.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$39.04 CHF 32.15

-56.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-27.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.70 CHF 1.40

2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.56 CHF 2.11

-27.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$6.49 CHF 5.35

-60.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.84 CHF 1.52

1.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-5.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.16 CHF 0.96

-29.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$10.74 CHF 8.84

-38.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$14.64 CHF 12.06

-61.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-61.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$4.08 CHF 3.36

-49.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-22.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.29

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$7.07 CHF 5.82

-43.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$5.38 CHF 4.43

-79.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.80

$78.3 CHF 64.5

-78.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.20 CHF 1.81

3.64%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

-2.74%

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

$39.3K €34.9K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

1.84%

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

$167 €149

$304 CHF 250

-44.85%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$25.15 CHF 20.71

-25.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$48.38 CHF 39.85

-31.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.92

$73.1 CHF 60.2

-37.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$21.74 CHF 17.91

-54.74%

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

$677 €602

$3,187 CHF 2,625

-78.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-56.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.0

$107 CHF 87.8

-5.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$47.52 CHF 39.14

-3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$164 CHF 135

-39.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$166 CHF 137

-26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,435

$1,381 CHF 1,137

16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,199 CHF 987

-0.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,739

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$6,944 CHF 5,719

-77.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.37

62.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5% 0.1% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Mendrisio

$594 19.6% 120% $324

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Mendrisio

$484 15.9% 99.7% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Mendrisio

$377 12.4% 72% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mendrisio

$218 7.2% 31.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Mendrisio

$117 3.8% 77.4% $51

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5% 26.9% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mendrisio pays 337% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $177 in Mendrisio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $594 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

13:53 1:53 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

15,562

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Mendrisio 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 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 Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Mendrisio differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $3,034 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 337% lower in Mendrisio. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Mendrisio. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $3,034 in Mendrisio – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,034 in Mendrisio, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Mendrisio. 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 Mendrisio 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Mendrisio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.