Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mestre

For one person, living is cheaper in Mestre: $1,784 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Mestre
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Mestre Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mestre

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mestre

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,784 in Mestre.

Lisbon $2,210
Mestre $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,808 in Mestre.

Lisbon $3,275
Mestre $2,808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,832 in Mestre.

Lisbon $4,341
Mestre $3,832

Living in Lisbon is roughly 24% more expensive than in Mestre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Mestre 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$13.15 €11.79

26.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$91.0 €81.6

-32.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$12.44 €11.15

-8.68%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.04 €1.83

45.59%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.95 €2.65

-22.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.46 €1.31

19.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.62 €5.93

-48.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.40 €4.84

-38.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.72 €1.54

-32.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.51 €2.25

-23.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.22 €2.88

-53.11%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.76 €3.37

6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$17.48 €15.66

-25.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$12.60 €11.29

-38.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$21.49 €19.26

-17.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.06 €2.74

-24.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.92 €1.72

-9.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.41 €3.05

-45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.13 €2.80

-17.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.99 €1.79

-8.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.28 €2.04

-13.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.65 €1.48

-10.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.61 €0.55

18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.90 €6.19

-4.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.88 €6.17

-18.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.54 €1.38

-11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.72 €1.54

24.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.70 €1.52

37.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$40.79 €36.55

9.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.73 €4.24

-18.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.40 €1.26

-23.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$30.66 €27.48

-46.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.02 €1.81

8.91%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.4K €31.7K

-3.50%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$36.9K €33.1K

4.83%

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

$161 €144

$205 €184

-21.54%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$8.66 €7.76

112.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$29.29 €26.24

11.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$48.25 €43.23

-7.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$20.01 €17.93

-4.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.13 €9.97

-13.75%

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

$668 €598

$682 €611

-2.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.1K €9,974

58.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$78.8 €70.7

29.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$34.06 €30.53

30.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$105 €94.1

-6.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$167 €150

-26.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$857 €768

87.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$653 €585

82.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,459 €1,308

92.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,163 €1,042

73.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,871 €1,677

318.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,579 €1,415

189.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,909 €1,711

-17.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.31

16.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mestre: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mestre

$653 36.6% 45.1% $537

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mestre

$355 19.9% 30.5% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mestre

$229 12.8% 5.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mestre

$243 13.7% 14.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mestre

$173 9.7% 4.4% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mestre

$71 4% 10.6% $6.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mestre

$59 3.3% 6.1% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $857 in Mestre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mestre pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $91 in Mestre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $355 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Mestre

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

08:11 8:11 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

87,377

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Mestre 1,910 km ≈ 3 h 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 Mestre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,784 in Mestre, so Mestre is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $857 in Mestre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $682 in Mestre. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mestre 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.