Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,647 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Monterrey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,647 in Monterrey.

Lisbon $2,210
Monterrey $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,591 in Monterrey.

Lisbon $3,275
Monterrey $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,536 in Monterrey.

Lisbon $4,341
Monterrey $3,536

Living in Lisbon is roughly 34% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$13.45 MX$251

23.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$48.43 MX$905

27.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$10.90 MX$204

4.22%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.82 MX$71.3

-22.25%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.67 MX$31.14

37.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.98 MX$18.37

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.35 MX$43.91

44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.41 MX$82.4

-24.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.80 MX$33.66

-35.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.79 MX$52.2

-31.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.82 MX$34.10

-17.03%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.51 MX$46.95

60.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.09 MX$226

7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$9.41 MX$176

-17.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$12.71 MX$237

39.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.21 MX$59.9

-28.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.50 MX$27.99

15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.14 MX$40.07

-13.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.32 MX$43.38

11.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.20 MX$41.14

-17.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.60 MX$48.55

-24.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.44 MX$26.92

2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.17 MX$21.93

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$4.79 MX$89.5

37.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$13.22 MX$247

-57.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.94 MX$36.30

-29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.89 MX$53.9

-25.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.87 MX$16.30

167.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$31.14 MX$582

43.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.66 MX$30.96

131.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.09 MX$20.44

-1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$10.67 MX$199

54.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.47 MX$27.53

49.66%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$24.2K MX$453.0K

41.03%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$23.6K MX$440.1K

64.41%

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

$161 €145

$118 MX$2,202

36.78%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$25.55 MX$477

-27.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$26.43 MX$494

23.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$30.77 MX$575

44.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$21.07 MX$394

-9.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$5.09 MX$95.1

88.61%

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

$668 €600

$694 MX$13.0K

-3.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.3K MX$211.5K

55.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$72.5 MX$1,354

40.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$41.51 MX$776

7.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$110 MX$2,050

-10.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$115 MX$2,148

7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,056 MX$19.7K

52.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$721 MX$13.5K

65.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$1,999 MX$37.4K

40.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$1,435 MX$26.8K

40.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$4,219 MX$78.8K

85.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$2,731 MX$51.0K

67.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,149 MX$21.5K

37.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.79

-67.35%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 39.4% $469

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 11.4% $31

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 10.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 20% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 8.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 35.8% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 33.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $48 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $303, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Monterrey 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Monterrey differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,647 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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 $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $694 in Monterrey. 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.

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

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