Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,336 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Merida
Learn more

Merida Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Merida

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,336 in Merida.

Lisbon $2,223
Merida $1,336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,145 in Merida.

Lisbon $3,271
Merida $2,145

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,955 in Merida.

Lisbon $4,319
Merida $2,955

Living in Lisbon is roughly 66% more expensive than in Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Merida is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.74 MX$254

20.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$54.7 MX$1,010

12.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.01 MX$148

40.70%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.86 MX$71.4

-20.73%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.13 MX$20.90

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.17 MX$21.60

47.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.98 MX$55.0

13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.84 MX$70.9

-11.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.64 MX$30.24

-31.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.65 MX$49.02

-29.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.80 MX$33.32

-15.00%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.95 MX$36.08

103.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.40 MX$192

22.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.58 MX$140

4.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$12.34 MX$228

37.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.83 MX$52.2

-19.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.39 MX$25.68

25.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.11 MX$39.03

-12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.06 MX$38.03

24.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.20 MX$40.70

-15.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.84 MX$33.98

9.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.48 MX$27.41

-2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.18 MX$21.77

-30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$4.47 MX$82.6

46.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.85 MX$200

-48.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.50 MX$27.71

-14.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.49 MX$45.96

-16.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.69 MX$12.72

240.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$19.37 MX$358

128.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.66 MX$49.24

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.76 MX$69.5

-71.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$8.81 MX$163

88.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.56 MX$28.84

46.15%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.3K MX$393.1K

58.32%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$23.9K MX$441.6K

64.43%

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

$167 €149

$115 MX$2,133

45.08%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$21.17 MX$391

-11.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$34.17 MX$631

-3.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$29.22 MX$540

57.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$12.10 MX$224

58.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$7.57 MX$140

29.99%

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

$677 €602

$257 MX$4,744

163.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$3,594 MX$66.4K

370.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$54.0 MX$998

87.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$53.2 MX$983

-13.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$103 MX$1,902

-2.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$83.7 MX$1,547

46.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$617 MX$11.4K

161.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$463 MX$8,551

158.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,271 MX$23.5K

125.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$955 MX$17.6K

108.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,230 MX$41.2K

239.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,223 MX$22.6K

252.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$593 MX$11.0K

167.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.64

-66.92%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Merida

$463 34.7% 61.3% $734

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Merida

$270 20.2% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Merida

$212 15.9% 12.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Merida

$171 12.8% 22.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Merida

$132 9.9% 20.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Merida

$44 3.3% 32.5% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Merida

$44 3.3% 30.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $617 in Merida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 168% 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 $55.0 in Merida. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $270, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇽 Merida

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

01:19 1:19 AM

7 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

975,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Merida 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Merida differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,336 including rent). Merida is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 168% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $617 in Merida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $257 in Merida. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,336 in Merida versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Merida but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Merida 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 Merida 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 Merida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.