Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Motril

For one person, living is cheaper in Motril: $1,480 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Motril
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Motril Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Motril

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Motril

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,480 in Motril.

Lisbon $2,210
Motril $1,480

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,218 in Motril.

Lisbon $3,275
Motril $2,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,955 in Motril.

Lisbon $4,341
Motril $2,955

Living in Lisbon is roughly 49% more expensive than in Motril, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Motril 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$16.71 €14.97

-0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$56.4 €50.5

9.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.69 €5.99

69.81%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.07 €1.85

43.48%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.75 €2.46

-16.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.10 €0.99

58.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.62 €4.14

-26.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.69 €5.10

-41.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.15 €1.03

0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.83 €1.64

4.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.43 €1.28

5.59%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.49 €12.08

-4.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$4.36 €3.91

78.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$16.24 €14.54

9.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.18 €1.95

5.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.27 €2.03

-23.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.28 €2.04

-18.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.86 €2.56

-9.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.77 €1.59

2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.77 €2.48

-28.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.64 €1.47

-10.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.74 €0.66

-2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.79 €6.08

-3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.14 €8.18

-38.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.53 €1.37

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.25 €2.02

-4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.65 €1.48

41.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$32.16 €28.80

38.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.00 €1.79

92.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 €1.02

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$22.86 €20.47

-28.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.75 €1.57

25.71%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$25.9K €23.2K

32.20%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.1K €27.9K

24.42%

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

$161 €144

$79.3 €71.0

103.36%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$15.89 €14.23

15.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$22.80 €20.42

43.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$49.89 €44.68

-10.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$15.54 €13.91

22.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.75 €6.05

42.22%

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

$668 €598

$252 €225

165.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$13.4K €12.0K

31.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$33.82 €30.29

201.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$28.08 €25.15

58.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$79.9 €71.6

23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$45.51 €40.76

171.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$887 €794

81.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$672 €602

76.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,366 €1,223

105.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,016 €910

98.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$3,261 €2,920

140.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,245 €2,011

103.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,707 €1,529

-7.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

28.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Motril: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Motril

$672 45.4% 43.5% $518

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Motril

$267 18.1% 1.9% $5

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Motril

$229 15.4% 5.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Motril

$118 8% 44.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Motril

$84 5.7% 49.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Motril

$63 4.3% 0.5% $0.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Motril

$46 3.1% 26.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $887 in Motril. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Motril pays 8% 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 $56 in Motril for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $267 per month, with Motril cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Motril

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

58,939

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Motril 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Motril

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 Motril: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,480 in Motril, so Motril is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% 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 $887 in Motril. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Motril runs roughly 28% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,480 in Motril – Motril is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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