Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mexicali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $927 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
Learn more

Mexicali Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mexicali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $927 in Mexicali.

Lisbon $2,210
Mexicali $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,485 in Mexicali.

Lisbon $3,275
Mexicali $1,485

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,042 in Mexicali.

Lisbon $4,341
Mexicali $2,042

Living in Lisbon is roughly 138% more expensive than in Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Mexicali is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.33 MX$232

35.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$33.01 MX$620

87.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$6.49 MX$122

75.04%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.33 MX$62.5

-10.81%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.37 MX$25.82

67.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.07 MX$20.03

62.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.21 MX$60.4

5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.03 MX$75.7

-17.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.20 MX$22.48

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.32 MX$43.54

-17.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.44 MX$27.00

4.86%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.67 MX$50.2

50.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$2.40 MX$45.05

439.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.04 MX$114

28.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$6.60 MX$124

169.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.61 MX$30.20

42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.31 MX$24.66

32.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.37 MX$25.70

35.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.57 MX$29.45

64.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.37 MX$25.78

32.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.38 MX$25.95

42.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.34 MX$25.16

9.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.77 MX$14.51

-6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.01 MX$75.4

64.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.99 MX$150

-29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.96 MX$36.88

-30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.99 MX$75.0

-46.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.02 MX$19.21

128.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$34.66 MX$651

28.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.80 MX$52.6

37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.19 MX$41.23

-51.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$19.17 MX$360

-14.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.37 MX$25.79

60.58%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$24.5K MX$461.3K

39.31%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$23.1K MX$434.2K

67.62%

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

$161 €144

$47.16 MX$886

241.86%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$21.80 MX$410

-15.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$28.74 MX$540

13.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$39.07 MX$734

14.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$16.32 MX$307

17.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$3.99 MX$74.9

140.60%

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

$668 €598

$198 MX$3,726

236.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,438 MX$83.4K

296.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$33.30 MX$626

206.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$32.11 MX$603

38.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$75.5 MX$1,419

30.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$37.44 MX$704

230.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$967 MX$18.2K

66.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$265 MX$4,975

349.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,370 MX$25.8K

105.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$534 MX$10.0K

277.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,628 MX$49.4K

198.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,427 MX$26.8K

220.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$837 MX$15.7K

88.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

12.07

-68.10%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mexicali

$265 28.5% 77.8% $925

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mexicali

$193 20.8% 29% $79

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mexicali

$192 20.7% 20.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mexicali

$98 10.5% 54% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mexicali

$80 8.7% 51.6% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mexicali

$47 5.1% 26.2% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mexicali

$53 5.7% 16.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $967 in Mexicali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 88% 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 $33 in Mexicali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $193 per month, with Mexicali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

21:05 9:05 PM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

854,186

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Mexicali 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Mexicali

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 Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $927 in Mexicali, so Mexicali is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% 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 $967 in Mexicali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $198 in Mexicali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $927 in Mexicali versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mexicali but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mexicali 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 Mexicali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mexicali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.