Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $1,928 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,928 in Rabat.

Lisbon $2,223
Rabat $1,928

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,701 in Rabat.

Lisbon $3,271
Rabat $2,701

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,474 in Rabat.

Lisbon $4,319
Rabat $3,474

Living in Lisbon is roughly 15% more expensive than in Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Rabat 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$16.55 €14.72

-0.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$50.4 €44.82

21.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$11.19 €9.96

0.71%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.25 €2.00

36.00%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.48 €2.20

-8.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.69 €1.51

2.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.33 €2.97

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.43 €3.05

-0.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.11 €0.99

0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.34 €1.19

38.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.26 €2.01

-32.30%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.50 €3.11

13.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.97 €7.09

60.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.87 €7.00

0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$12.51 €11.13

35.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.12 €3.67

-44.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.18 €1.94

-19.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.55 €3.16

-47.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.21 €1.97

16.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.15 €1.02

61.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.14 €1.01

77.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.09 €0.97

32.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.09 €0.97

-24.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.80 €6.05

-3.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$8.23 €7.32

-31.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.76 €1.57

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.44 €2.17

-15.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.71 €2.41

-13.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.73 €5.09

-30.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.21 €1.96

-50.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$26.77 €23.81

-37.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.51 €1.34

50.99%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$37.7K €33.6K

-10.79%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.6K €34.3K

1.76%

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

$167 €149

$101 €90.2

65.18%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$12.17 €10.82

54.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$42.85 €38.12

-22.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$62.1 €55.3

-25.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$22.18 €19.73

-13.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$10.09 €8.98

-2.48%

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

$677 €602

$369 €328

83.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$11.3K €10.0K

49.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$86.2 €76.7

17.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$27.60 €24.55

65.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$73.7 €65.6

35.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$76.8 €68.3

59.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,051 €934

53.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,049 €933

14.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,735 €1,543

64.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,460 €1,299

36.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,396 €3,910

72.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,149 €2,801

36.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,318 €1,173

20.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.9

32.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Rabat

$1K 54.4% 12.4% $148

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Rabat

$261 13.5% 3.2% $8.7

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Rabat

$233 12.1% 3.7% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Rabat

$156 8.1% 28.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rabat

$119 6.2% 28.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Rabat

$82 4.3% 25.3% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Rabat

$28 * 1.4% 56.2% $35

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,051 in Rabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 20% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $50.0 in Rabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $261 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Rabat

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

17:21 5:21 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

11,497

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Rabat 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Rabat differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,928 including rent). Rabat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,051 in Rabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,928 in Rabat – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,928 in Rabat versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Rabat but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rabat 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 Rabat are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rabat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.