Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Montreal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,064 in Montreal.

Lisbon $2,210
Montreal $2,064

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,156 in Montreal.

Lisbon $3,275
Montreal $3,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,247 in Montreal.

Lisbon $4,341
Montreal $4,247

Living in Lisbon is roughly 7% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$18.98 CA$26.53

-12.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$73.0 CA$102

-15.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$10.88 CA$15.20

4.41%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.81 CA$5.33

-22.05%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.94 CA$2.71

18.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.58 CA$2.21

10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.37 CA$8.90

-46.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$7.26 CA$10.15

-54.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.23 CA$3.11

-47.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.17 CA$4.44

-39.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.31 CA$4.62

-54.38%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.63 CA$5.07

10.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.16 CA$18.39

-1.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$11.56 CA$16.15

-32.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$13.71 CA$19.16

29.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.29 CA$4.60

-30.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.46 CA$2.04

18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.37 CA$4.71

-44.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.15 CA$4.40

-17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.89 CA$2.64

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.79 CA$2.51

10.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.47 CA$3.45

-40.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.58 CA$2.21

-54.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.28 CA$15.77

-41.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.49 CA$14.66

-46.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.34 CA$3.26

-41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.91 CA$4.07

-26.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.61 CA$3.65

-10.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$79.1 CA$111

-43.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.26 CA$4.56

18.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.44 CA$2.01

-25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$33.43 CA$46.71

-50.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.33 CA$1.86

65.41%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.6K CA$40.0K

19.41%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

83.53%

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

$161 €144

$80.1 CA$112

101.37%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$34.30 CA$47.93

-46.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$42.85 CA$59.9

-23.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$31.14 CA$43.52

43.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$19.41 CA$27.12

-1.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.23 CA$15.69

-14.51%

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

$668 €598

$525 CA$734

27.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$16.3K CA$22.8K

7.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$58.0 CA$81.0

75.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$38.11 CA$53.3

16.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$93.4 CA$131

5.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$110 CA$154

12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,285 CA$1,796

25.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$977 CA$1,365

21.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,271 CA$3,173

23.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,665 CA$2,326

20.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$5,139 CA$7,181

52.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$3,834 CA$5,358

19.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,002 CA$4,195

-47.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.48

-14.06%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 17.9% $213

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Montreal

$351 17% 29% $79

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 19.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 26% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 18.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 15.9% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 58.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,285 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 91% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $73 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $351 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

10:45 10:45 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Montreal 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,064 in Montreal, so Montreal is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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 $1,285 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $525 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Montreal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Montreal are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.