Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Oued Zem

For one person, living is cheaper in Oued Zem: $751 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Oued Zem
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Oued Zem Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Oued Zem

🇲🇦 Morocco

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Oued Zem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $751 in Oued Zem.

Lisbon $2,210
Oued Zem $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,196 in Oued Zem.

Lisbon $3,275
Oued Zem $1,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,640 in Oued Zem.

Lisbon $4,341
Oued Zem $1,640

Living in Lisbon is roughly 194% more expensive than in Oued Zem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Oued Zem is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$4.18 MAD 41.18

298.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$41.10 MAD 405

50.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.11 MAD 70.0

59.77%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.93 MAD 19.03

53.89%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.57 MAD 5.59

301.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.36 MAD 3.58

383.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.95 MAD 48.75

-31.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.19 MAD 31.46

3.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.82 MAD 8.05

41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.61 MAD 5.96

213.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.85 MAD 18.21

-18.38%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.95 MAD 19.18

106.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$11.22 MAD 111

15.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.67 MAD 65.7

16.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$11.88 MAD 117

49.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.60 MAD 15.80

43.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.42 MAD 13.99

21.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$0.89 MAD 8.77

108.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$0.82 MAD 8.08

215.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.71 MAD 7.03

156.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.79 MAD 7.74

149.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.39 MAD 3.86

276.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.61 MAD 5.97

18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.23 MAD 41.63

55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.23 MAD 71.2

-22.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.56 MAD 25.25

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.58 MAD 25.45

-17.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.50 MAD 4.95

366.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$19.08 MAD 188

134.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.73 MAD 7.19

427.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.75 MAD 7.36

42.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$3.95 MAD 38.95

316.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.50 MAD 14.77

46.67%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$29.9K MAD 294.5K

14.35%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$32.7K MAD 322.5K

18.25%

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

$161 €145

$36.51 MAD 360

341.58%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$9.90 MAD 97.5

85.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$33.95 MAD 334

-3.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$22.75 MAD 224

95.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$19.10 MAD 188

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.24 MAD 61.4

53.85%

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

$668 €600

$181 MAD 1,779

269.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,550 MAD 94.1K

84.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$47.28 MAD 466

115.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$39.31 MAD 387

13.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$91.6 MAD 902

7.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$66.5 MAD 655

85.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$314 MAD 3,096

411.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$185 MAD 1,824

542.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$476 MAD 4,686

491.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$283 MAD 2,788

611.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,129 MAD 11.1K

594.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$874 MAD 8,606

423.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$230 MAD 2,264

585.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.55

-15.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Oued Zem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Oued Zem

$185 24.7% 84.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Oued Zem

$201 26.8% 26.1% $71

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Oued Zem

$113 15% 53.5% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Oued Zem

$80 10.7% 62.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Oued Zem

$110 14.7% 33.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Oued Zem

$35 4.7% 44.7% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Oued Zem

$26 3.4% 59.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $314 in Oued Zem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 6.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $41 in Oued Zem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $201 per month, with Oued Zem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇦 Oued Zem

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

95,267

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MAD = 10.15 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Oued Zem 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Oued Zem

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 Oued Zem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $751 in Oued Zem, so Oued Zem is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 6.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $314 in Oued Zem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $181 in Oued Zem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $751 in Oued Zem versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Oued Zem but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Oued Zem 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 Oued Zem are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Oued Zem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.