Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Merignac

For one person, living is cheaper in Merignac: $1,887 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Merignac
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Merignac Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Merignac

🇫🇷 France

$1,887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Merignac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,887 in Merignac.

Lisbon $2,210
Merignac $1,887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,897 in Merignac.

Lisbon $3,275
Merignac $2,897

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,907 in Merignac.

Lisbon $4,341
Merignac $3,907

Living in Lisbon is roughly 17% more expensive than in Merignac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Merignac 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$16.82 €15.12

-1.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$77.8 €69.9

-20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.43 €12.07

-15.41%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.96 €3.55

-25.00%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.93 €2.63

-21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.38 €1.24

26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$7.44 €6.68

-54.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.63 €5.96

-50.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.17 €1.06

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.98 €1.78

-3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.52 €2.26

-40.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.49 €3.14

15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.55 €12.17

-4.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$14.70 €13.20

-47.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$20.03 €17.99

-11.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.43 €3.08

-32.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.25 €2.02

-23.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.29 €2.96

-43.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.47 €3.12

-25.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.27 €2.04

-19.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.88 €2.59

-31.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.37 €1.23

7.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.51 €0.46

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$13.21 €11.87

-50.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.92 €8.02

-37.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.46 €3.11

-60.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.40 €3.06

-37.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.95 €1.75

19.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$55.2 €49.57

-19.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.29 €2.05

68.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.81 €1.63

-40.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$37.65 €33.83

-56.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.18 €1.96

0.92%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$35.0K €31.4K

-2.31%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$36.2K €32.5K

7.12%

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

$161 €145

$222 €200

-27.47%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$14.09 €12.66

30.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$30.79 €27.67

6.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$31.86 €28.63

39.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$12.97 €11.65

-25.98%

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

$668 €600

$797 €716

-16.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.3K €9,246

71.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$112 €101

-9.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$45.56 €40.94

-2.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$107 €96.1

-7.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$146 €131

-15.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$862 €774

86.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$656 €590

81.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$1,599 €1,436

75.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$1,144 €1,028

75.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$3,985 €3,580

96.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$3,034 €2,726

50.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.79

1.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Merignac: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Merignac

$656 34.8% 44.9% $534

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Merignac

$357 18.9% 31.1% $85

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Merignac

$290 15.4% 19.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Merignac

$267 14.2% 25.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Merignac

$185 9.8% 11.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Merignac

$58 3.1% 9.3% $5.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Merignac

$74 3.9% 17.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $862 in Merignac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $78 in Merignac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $357 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Merignac

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

75,729

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Merignac 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Merignac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Merignac differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,887 including rent). Merignac is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,831 in Merignac to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $862 in Merignac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $797 in Merignac. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Merignac gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Merignac are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.