Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Milan

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,555 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Milan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,555 in Milan.

Lisbon $2,210
Milan $2,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,859 in Milan.

Lisbon $3,275
Milan $3,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,163 in Milan.

Lisbon $4,341
Milan $5,163

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 14% less than in Milan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Milan 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$22.10 €19.85

-24.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$89.0 €80.0

-30.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.35 €11.99

-14.91%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.14 €1.92

38.79%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.68 €3.31

-37.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.95 €1.75

-10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.96 €6.26

-51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.78 €6.09

-51.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.75 €1.57

-33.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.19 €2.86

-40.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.69 €3.31

-59.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.02 €4.51

-19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$23.30 €20.94

-44.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$14.73 €13.24

-47.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$22.89 €20.57

-22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.96 €2.66

-22.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.31 €2.07

-25.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.23 €2.90

-42.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.30 €3.87

-39.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.26 €2.03

-19.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.00 €1.79

-1.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.78 €1.60

-17.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.61 €0.55

18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$7.25 €6.51

-9.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$9.77 €8.78

-42.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.93 €1.74

-29.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.38 €2.14

-10.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.45 €2.20

-4.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$43.45 €39.04

2.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$7.62 €6.85

-49.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.29 €2.06

-53.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$65.1 €58.5

-74.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$36.3K €32.7K

-5.93%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$37.4K €33.6K

3.45%

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

$161 €145

$248 €223

-34.93%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$10.29 €9.25

78.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$29.70 €26.69

10.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$82.9 €74.4

-46.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$33.55 €30.14

-43.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$11.38 €10.22

-15.64%

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

$668 €600

$939 €844

-28.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$18.8K €16.8K

-6.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$101 €91.0

0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$49.50 €44.48

-10.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$116 €104

-14.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$164 €147

-24.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,764 €1,585

-8.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,164 €1,046

2.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$3,429 €3,081

-17.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$1,975 €1,774

1.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$10.6K €9,501

-25.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$5,220 €4,690

-12.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,162 €1,942

-27.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.18

21.07%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Milan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Milan

$1.2K 45.6% 2.2% $26

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Milan

$419 16.4% 53.7% $146

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Milan

$313 12.3% 29.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Milan

$288 11.3% 35.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Milan

$194 7.6% 16.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Milan

$106 4.1% 65.7% $42

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Milan

$72 2.8% 14.4% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,764 in Milan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $89 in Milan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $419 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Milan

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,394,798

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Milan 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min 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 Milan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Milan differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $2,555 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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 $1,764 in Milan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $939 in Milan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Milan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Milan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.