Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mersin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersin: $1,017 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Mersin
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Mersin Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mersin

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,017

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mersin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,017 in Mersin.

Lisbon $2,210
Mersin $1,017

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,532 in Mersin.

Lisbon $3,275
Mersin $1,532

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,047 in Mersin.

Lisbon $4,341
Mersin $2,047

Living in Lisbon is roughly 117% more expensive than in Mersin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Mersin is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$7.63 ₺380

118.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$29.67 ₺1,479

108.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.75 ₺386

46.58%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.18 ₺158

-6.60%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.34 ₺66.7

70.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.25 ₺12.35

596.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.45 ₺122

38.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.65 ₺132

24.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.99 ₺49.12

17.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.93 ₺46.37

105.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.78 ₺88.7

-15.17%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.08 ₺103

93.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.19 ₺458

40.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$3.92 ₺195

98.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$17.93 ₺893

-0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.65 ₺82.5

39.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.78 ₺88.7

-2.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$0.92 ₺45.81

102.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.25 ₺62.5

107.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.49 ₺24.47

271.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.40 ₺19.94

392.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.93 ₺46.34

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.59 ₺29.62

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$2.05 ₺102

220.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.23 ₺510

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.35 ₺117

-42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.18 ₺158

-32.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.63 ₺31.64

269.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$20.00 ₺997

123.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.03 ₺51.1

273.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.51 ₺25.58

109.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$9.97 ₺497

65.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.24 ₺61.9

77.42%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$41.5K ₺2.1M

-17.70%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.4K ₺1.9M

0.85%

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

$161 €145

$90.0 ₺4,486

79.11%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$9.27 ₺462

98.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$11.11 ₺553

194.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$52.1 ₺2,595

-14.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$15.10 ₺752

26.49%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.19 ₺308

55.09%

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

$668 €600

$442 ₺22.0K

51.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,104 ₺354.0K

147.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$54.1 ₺2,697

88.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$29.01 ₺1,446

53.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$113 ₺5,653

-13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$108 ₺5,388

14.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$407 ₺20.3K

294.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$316 ₺15.8K

276.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$698 ₺34.8K

303.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$490 ₺24.4K

311.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,234 ₺61.5K

535.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$927 ₺46.2K

393.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$816 ₺40.7K

93.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

41.5

-90.72%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mersin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mersin

$316 31.1% 73.4% $874

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mersin

$216 21.3% 20.6% $56

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mersin

$146 14.4% 39.7% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mersin

$110 10.9% 48% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mersin

$137 13.5% 17.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mersin

$64 6.3% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mersin

$26 2.6% 58.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $407 in Mersin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 93% 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 $30 in Mersin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $216 per month, with Mersin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇷 Mersin

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,773,852

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Mersin 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Mersin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,017 in Mersin, so Mersin is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 93% 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 $407 in Mersin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $442 in Mersin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,017 in Mersin versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mersin but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mersin 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 Mersin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mersin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.