Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Monte Argentario

For one person, living is cheaper in Monte Argentario: $1,546 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Monte Argentario
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Monte Argentario Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monte Argentario

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Monte Argentario

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,546 in Monte Argentario.

Lisbon $2,210
Monte Argentario $1,546

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,376 in Monte Argentario.

Lisbon $3,275
Monte Argentario $2,376

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,205 in Monte Argentario.

Lisbon $4,341
Monte Argentario $3,205

Living in Lisbon is roughly 43% more expensive than in Monte Argentario, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Monte Argentario 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$17.41 €15.64

-4.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$74.1 €66.5

-16.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.10 €9.97

2.34%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.73 €1.56

71.68%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.94 €2.64

-22.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.52 €1.36

14.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.67 €5.09

-40.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.66 €5.09

-41.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.32 €1.18

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.13 €1.91

-10.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.52 €2.27

-40.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.36 €3.91

-7.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$16.09 €14.46

-19.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$12.36 €11.10

-37.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$17.66 €15.87

0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.49 €1.34

54.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.60 €1.43

8.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.83 €1.65

1.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.34 €2.10

10.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.53 €1.37

18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.77 €1.59

11.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.52 €1.37

-3.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.26 €0.23

176.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.98 €5.37

10.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.57 €5.90

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.55 €1.39

-12.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.74 €1.57

22.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.60 €1.43

45.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$43.55 €39.12

2.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.40 €3.06

13.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.26 €1.13

-15.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$28.20 €25.33

-41.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.02 €1.82

8.91%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$34.6K €31.1K

-1.21%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$37.7K €33.9K

2.71%

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

$161 €145

$165 €148

-2.39%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$9.99 €8.97

84.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$31.19 €28.01

4.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$51.3 €46.05

-13.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$25.32 €22.75

-24.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.48 €7.62

13.21%

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

$668 €600

$594 €534

12.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,924 €3,525

348.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$66.1 €59.3

54.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$36.46 €32.75

21.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$80.2 €72.0

22.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$94.0 €84.5

31.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$756 €679

112.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$533 €479

123.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$985 €885

185.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$834 €749

141.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,611 €2,346

200.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,916 €1,721

138.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.05

-4.94%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Monte Argentario: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Monte Argentario

$533 34.5% 55.2% $657

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Monte Argentario

$303 19.6% 11.2% $30

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Monte Argentario

$251 16.2% 3.4% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Monte Argentario

$206 13.4% 2.8% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Monte Argentario

$125 8.1% 24.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Monte Argentario

$68 4.4% 7% $4.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Monte Argentario

$60 3.9% 5.7% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $756 in Monte Argentario. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $74 in Monte Argentario for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $303 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Monte Argentario

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

12,660

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Monte Argentario 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Monte Argentario

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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 Monte Argentario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,546 in Monte Argentario, so Monte Argentario is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,319 in Monte Argentario 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 $756 in Monte Argentario. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $594 in Monte Argentario. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Monte Argentario is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Monte Argentario are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.