Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Montpellier

For one person, living is cheaper in Montpellier: $1,945 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Montpellier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,945 in Montpellier.

Lisbon $2,223
Montpellier $1,945

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,919 in Montpellier.

Lisbon $3,271
Montpellier $2,919

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,892 in Montpellier.

Lisbon $4,319
Montpellier $3,892

Living in Lisbon is roughly 14% more expensive than in Montpellier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Montpellier 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$16.51 €14.68

-0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$71.8 €63.9

-14.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$15.92 €14.16

-29.21%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.64 €3.23

-15.93%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.99 €2.66

-24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.03 €1.81

-14.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.74 €5.11

-40.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.44 €3.95

-23.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.40 €1.24

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.17 €1.93

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.64 €2.35

-42.05%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.74 €3.33

5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$18.65 €16.59

-31.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$13.83 €12.30

-42.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$24.28 €21.60

-30.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.95 €2.62

-23.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.40 €2.13

-27.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.93 €2.61

-36.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.84 €3.42

-33.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.33 €2.07

-20.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.96 €2.63

-31.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.74 €1.55

-17.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.63 €0.56

30.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$13.68 €12.16

-52.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.47 €6.64

-24.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.81 €3.38

-66.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.77 €2.47

-25.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.99 €1.77

18.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$1.07 €0.96

4028.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.97 €4.42

-19.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.70 €1.52

-35.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$32.84 €29.22

-49.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.12 €1.89

7.55%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$34.1K €30.3K

-1.18%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$35.3K €31.4K

11.43%

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

$167 €149

$224 €200

-25.35%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$16.56 €14.73

13.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$32.59 €28.98

1.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$33.70 €29.98

36.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$14.18 €12.61

35.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$13.68 €12.16

-28.07%

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

$677 €602

$735 €654

-7.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$13.0K €11.5K

30.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$88.5 €78.8

14.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$65.5 €58.3

-30.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$103 €91.3

-2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$178 €158

-30.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$897 €798

79.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$725 €645

65.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,480 €1,317

93.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,157 €1,029

72.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,927 €4,382

53.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,636 €3,234

18.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,738 €2,435

-42.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.81

1.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montpellier: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Montpellier

$725 37.3% 39.4% $472

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Montpellier

$386 19.9% 43.3% $117

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Montpellier

$281 14.5% 16.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Montpellier

$274 14.1% 24.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Montpellier

$196 10.1% 17.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Montpellier

$61 3.1% 7% $4.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Montpellier

$23 1.2% 64.3% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $897 in Montpellier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montpellier pays 72% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $72.0 in Montpellier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $386 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

302,454

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Montpellier 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Montpellier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Montpellier differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,945 including rent). Montpellier is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Montpellier. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $897 in Montpellier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $735 in Montpellier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 43% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,945 in Montpellier versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montpellier but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Montpellier 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 Montpellier are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Montpellier gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.