Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Phoenix

For one person, living is cheaper in Phoenix: $842 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Phoenix

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Phoenix

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $842 in Phoenix.

Lisbon $2,210
Phoenix $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,313 in Phoenix.

Lisbon $3,275
Phoenix $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,784 in Phoenix.

Lisbon $4,341
Phoenix $1,784

Living in Lisbon is roughly 163% more expensive than in Phoenix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Phoenix is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$2.16 MUR 102

670.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$31.24 MUR 1,472

97.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.49 MUR 353

51.67%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.40 MUR 255

-45.00%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.65 MUR 30.75

252.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.55 MUR 25.73

216.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.11 MUR 99.4

61.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.36 MUR 253

-38.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.50 MUR 70.9

-22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.40 MUR 18.92

377.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.17 MUR 102

-30.41%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.01 MUR 236

-19.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$8.34 MUR 393

-6.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$6.30 MUR 297

181.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$7.41 MUR 349

-68.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$3.79 MUR 178

-54.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.63 MUR 218

-59.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.53 MUR 72.2

69.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.89 MUR 41.91

104.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.81 MUR 38.31

143.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.70 MUR 33.14

110.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.76 MUR 35.72

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.54 MUR 497

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.06 MUR 97.2

-33.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.03 MUR 48.74

126.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$10.76 MUR 507

315.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.46 MUR 68.6

-26.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.29 MUR 60.8

70.54%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

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

$38.7K €34.7K

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

$161 €144

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

$18.41 €16.50

$14.45 MUR 681

27.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$25.12 MUR 1,184

30.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$25.60 MUR 1,206

74.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.39 MUR 254

78.11%

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

$668 €598

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$53.6 MUR 2,526

90.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$53.5 MUR 2,519

-16.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$531 MUR 25.0K

202.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$323 MUR 15.2K

268.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$855 MUR 40.3K

228.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$525 MUR 24.7K

283.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$939 MUR 44.2K

67.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-23.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phoenix: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Phoenix

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Phoenix

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Phoenix

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Phoenix

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Phoenix

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Phoenix

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Phoenix

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $531 in Phoenix. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 68% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $31 in Phoenix for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $242 per month, with Phoenix cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇺 Phoenix

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

4 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

115,289

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.61 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Lisbon Phoenix 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Phoenix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $842 in Phoenix, so Phoenix is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Lisbon, 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 $531 in Phoenix. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $842 in Phoenix – Phoenix is about 62% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $842 in Phoenix versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Phoenix but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Phoenix 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 Phoenix are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phoenix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.