Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,134 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Nogales
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,134
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Nogales

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,134 in Nogales.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Nogales $1,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,833 in Nogales.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Nogales $1,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,532 in Nogales.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Nogales $2,532

Living in Lisbon is roughly 94% more expensive than in Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Nogales is 16% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$10.82 MX$200
57.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$43.93 MX$812
41.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$8.50 MX$157
29.65%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$3.50 MX$64.7
-10.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.40 MX$25.88
62.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.02 MX$18.86
70.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$2.51 MX$46.33
36.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$4.14 MX$76.6
-9.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.66 MX$30.76
-29.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.55 MX$47.18
-27.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$1.71 MX$31.51
-9.94%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$2.40 MX$44.30
69.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$8.29 MX$153
55.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$8.43 MX$156
-6.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$11.58 MX$214
52.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.76 MX$51.0
-18.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.59 MX$29.43
10.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$1.97 MX$36.40
-4.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$1.75 MX$32.28
46.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.00 MX$36.88
-7.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.89 MX$35.00
4.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.43 MX$26.40
1.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$1.14 MX$21.00
-32.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$4.50 MX$83.2
49.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$10.38 MX$192
-45.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.82 MX$33.70
-24.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$3.09 MX$57.2
-31.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$0.65 MX$11.96
256.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$2.61 MX$48.27
51.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$2.01 MX$37.07
-47.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$10.75 MX$199
59.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.42 MX$26.18
54.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$21.1K MX$390.7K
59.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$23.9K MX$442.2K
59.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$57.9 MX$1,070
182.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$23.08 MX$426
-19.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$28.99 MX$536
13.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$33.67 MX$622
36.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
$20.37 MX$376
-8.30%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$5.23 MX$96.6
86.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$222 MX$4,099
208.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$4,589 MX$84.8K
284.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$55.3 MX$1,021
87.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$39.95 MX$738
15.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$102 MX$1,885
-2.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$88.4 MX$1,634
41.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$596 MX$11.0K
166.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$386 MX$7,131
202.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$1,046 MX$19.3K
172.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$771 MX$14.3K
158.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$1,940 MX$35.9K
301.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$1,163 MX$21.5K
279.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Nogales
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11.3
-65.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nogales: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Nogales
$386 67% $783
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Nogales
$266 2.8% $7.5
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Nogales
$185 25.4% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Nogales
$110 48.9% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Nogales
$129 23.7% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Nogales
$44 32.5% $21
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Nogales
$15 * 75.8% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $596 in Nogales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $44.00 in Nogales for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $266 per month, with Nogales cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇲🇽 Nogales
🕒 Local time
12:43 12:43 PM
04:43 4:43 AM
8 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
261,137
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Nogales 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Nogales

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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Nogales?
Lisbon and Nogales differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,134 including rent). Nogales is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Nogales?
You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $1,701 in Nogales to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Nogales?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $596 in Nogales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Nogales?
All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,134 in Nogales – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,134 in Nogales versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nogales but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Nogales the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Nogales?
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.
Is Lisbon or Nogales safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Nogales are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Nogales?
Expats usually find Nogales gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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