Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $921 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$921

/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: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $921 in Rabat.

Lisbon $2,210
Rabat $921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,498 in Rabat.

Lisbon $3,275
Rabat $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,074 in Rabat.

Lisbon $4,341
Rabat $2,074

Living in Lisbon is roughly 140% more expensive than in Rabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Rabat is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$3.99 MAD 39.21

317.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$41.46 MAD 408

48.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.96 MAD 68.4

63.22%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.94 MAD 19.04

53.09%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.53 MAD 5.25

332.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.37 MAD 3.60

370.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.19 MAD 51.0

-34.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.14 MAD 30.87

5.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.90 MAD 8.84

28.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.60 MAD 5.93

218.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.92 MAD 18.85

-21.35%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.86 MAD 18.24

116.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$11.16 MAD 110

15.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$6.71 MAD 65.9

15.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$12.08 MAD 119

47.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.55 MAD 15.26

48.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.43 MAD 14.07

20.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.81 MAD 7.96

129.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.82 MAD 8.11

215.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.72 MAD 7.06

152.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.75 MAD 7.36

162.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.37 MAD 3.61

297.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.63 MAD 6.22

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.06 MAD 39.93

62.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.33 MAD 72.1

-23.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.56 MAD 25.20

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.68 MAD 26.36

-20.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.55 MAD 5.41

323.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$25.62 MAD 252

74.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.73 MAD 7.16

427.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.77 MAD 7.59

38.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$4.13 MAD 40.63

298.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.52 MAD 14.96

44.74%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.2K MAD 296.4K

13.38%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$32.1K MAD 315.4K

20.67%

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

$161 €144

$35.47 MAD 349

354.52%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$10.21 MAD 100

80.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$33.51 MAD 329

-2.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$27.87 MAD 274

59.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$24.11 MAD 237

-20.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.94 MAD 58.4

61.62%

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

$668 €598

$180 MAD 1,773

270.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$9,261 MAD 91.0K

90.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$46.83 MAD 460

117.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$40.60 MAD 399

9.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$91.6 MAD 900

7.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$66.0 MAD 648

87.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$572 MAD 5,618

181.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$345 MAD 3,394

244.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$987 MAD 9,700

184.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$687 MAD 6,756

192.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$2,126 MAD 20.9K

268.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,214 MAD 11.9K

276.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$721 MAD 7,092

118.30%

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 Rabat: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Rabat

$345 37.5% 71% $845

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Rabat

$203 22% 25.6% $70

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Rabat

$112 12.1% 53.9% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Rabat

$79 8.6% 62.7% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rabat

$110 12% 33.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Rabat

$40 4.3% 37.6% $24

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Rabat

$32 3.5% 48.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $572 in Rabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.2 times 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 $41 in Rabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $203 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MAD = 10.17 USD

100 MAD = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Rabat 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min 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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $921 in Rabat, so Rabat is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.2 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 $572 in Rabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $180 in Rabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Rabat is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Rabat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.