Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mortsel

For one person, living is cheaper in Mortsel: $2,145 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $780 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mortsel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,145 in Mortsel.

Lisbon $2,210
Mortsel $2,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,187 in Mortsel.

Lisbon $3,275
Mortsel $3,187

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,229 in Mortsel.

Lisbon $4,341
Mortsel $4,229

Living in Lisbon is roughly 3% more expensive than in Mortsel.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Mortsel 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$22.62 €20.32

-26.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$96.3 €86.5

-35.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.55 €12.17

-16.16%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.25 €3.81

-30.12%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.47 €3.11

-34.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.87 €2.58

-39.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.55 €4.99

-38.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.71 €5.13

-42.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.35 €1.22

-14.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.88 €2.59

-33.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.23 €2.01

-32.29%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.94 €3.54

2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$16.51 €14.83

-21.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$12.10 €10.87

-35.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$22.81 €20.49

-22.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.80 €2.52

-17.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.37 €2.13

-27.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.60 €2.33

-28.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.85 €2.56

-9.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.18 €1.96

-16.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.85 €1.66

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.35 €1.22

8.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.10 €0.99

-34.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$13.33 €11.97

-50.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.64 €7.76

-35.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.99 €1.79

-31.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.30 €2.06

-6.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.03 €2.72

-23.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$56.3 €50.5

-20.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.45 €4.89

-29.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.75 €2.47

-61.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$45.23 €40.63

-63.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.10 €1.89

4.76%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$35.5K €31.9K

-3.69%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$36.4K €32.7K

6.41%

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

$161 €145

$220 €198

-26.80%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$20.70 €18.59

-11.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$47.54 €42.70

-31.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$41.18 €36.99

8.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$20.40 €18.32

-6.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$15.81 €14.20

-39.28%

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

$668 €600

$569 €511

17.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$21.6K €19.4K

-18.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$114 €102

-10.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$47.83 €42.96

-7.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$107 €95.7

-7.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$149 €134

-16.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$931 €836

72.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$813 €730

46.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,379 €1,239

103.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,145 €1,029

75.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$4,305 €3,867

82.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,739 €2,460

67.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,361 €2,121

-33.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.5

10.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mortsel: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mortsel

$813 37.9% 31.7% $377

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mortsel

$359 16.7% 31.8% $87

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mortsel

$337 15.7% 38.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mortsel

$288 13.5% 35.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mortsel

$187 8.7% 13% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mortsel

$73 3.4% 14.2% $9.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mortsel

$88 4.1% 38.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $931 in Mortsel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mortsel pays 50% 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 $96 in Mortsel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $359 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

24,525

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Mortsel 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Mortsel

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 Mortsel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 33% 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 $931 in Mortsel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $569 in Mortsel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Mortsel 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.

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