Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sayulita

For one person, living is cheaper in Sayulita: $1,135 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Sayulita, Mexico
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,206
/mo nomad
Sayulita
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,135
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sayulita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,135 in Sayulita.

  • Lisbon $2,206
  • Sayulita $1,135

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,806 in Sayulita.

  • Lisbon $3,276
  • Sayulita $1,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,476 in Sayulita.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Sayulita $2,476

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Sayulita is 16% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 €15.02
$10.37 MX$192
62.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 €54.4
$39.43 MX$732
54.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.98 €9.78
$8.13 MX$151
35.06%
Cappuccino
$3.05 €2.72
$3.26 MX$60.4
-6.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.29 MX$23.91
76.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.50
$0.91 MX$16.98
84.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €3.06
$2.15 MX$39.91
60.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 €3.48
$3.99 MX$74.1
-2.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.02
$1.43 MX$26.57
-19.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 €1.68
$2.63 MX$48.90
-28.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 €1.34
$1.63 MX$30.27
-7.98%
Eggs
$4.12 €3.67
$2.34 MX$43.40
76.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.01 €11.59
$8.23 MX$153
58.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.04 €7.17
$7.96 MX$148
1.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.89 €15.94
$10.64 MX$197
68.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.61 MX$48.51
-13.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.40 MX$25.92
24.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.78 MX$33.03
2.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.69 €2.39
$1.69 MX$31.43
59.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 €1.57
$1.85 MX$34.36
-4.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 €1.73
$1.94 MX$35.95
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.22 MX$22.62
19.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 €0.68
$0.98 MX$18.12
-22.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.66 €5.93
$4.17 MX$77.3
59.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.02
$10.93 MX$203
-48.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.61 MX$29.81
-19.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.87 MX$53.3
-25.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.30 €2.05
$0.66 MX$12.20
248.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.02 €39.21
$30.75 MX$571
43.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 €3.55
$2.66 MX$49.34
49.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 €0.57
$1.61 MX$29.84
-60.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.93 €16.86
$8.08 MX$150
134.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.27 MX$23.49
79.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K €29.7K
$21.0K MX$390.2K
58.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.3K
$22.0K MX$409.2K
74.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 €141
$56.7 MX$1,052
178.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.54 €15.62
$22.35 MX$415
-21.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.18 €27.78
$28.37 MX$527
9.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.64 €39.77
$36.51 MX$678
22.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.98 €16.91
$16.17 MX$300
17.38%
Cinema Ticket
$9.58 €8.53
$4.53 MX$84.0
111.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$674 €600
$207 MX$3,851
224.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K €16.7K
$3,622 MX$67.2K
417.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.0
$52.6 MX$976
94.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.90 €40.89
$38.96 MX$723
17.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.0
$92.1 MX$1,710
10.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 €109
$78.6 MX$1,459
55.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,641 €1,461
$513 MX$9,524
219.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 €1,058
$395 MX$7,326
200.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,825 €2,516
$942 MX$17.5K
199.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,018 €1,798
$762 MX$14.1K
164.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,836 €6,980
$1,781 MX$33.0K
340.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,701 €4,188
$1,154 MX$21.4K
307.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Sayulita
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,687 €1,503
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.82
11.48
-66.72%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sayulita: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Sayulita
$395 66.7% $793
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$275
Sayulita
$252 8.3% $23
Eating Out
Lisbon
$245
Sayulita
$174 29.1% $71
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$207
Sayulita
$107 48.1% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Sayulita
$118 29.5% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Sayulita
$46 28.6% $18
Getting Around
Lisbon
$60
Sayulita
$44 27% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $513 in Sayulita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $39 in Sayulita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $252 per month, with Sayulita cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇲🇽 Sayulita
🕒 Local time
15:47 3:47 PM
09:47 9:47 AM
6 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
5,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Sayulita 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Sayulita

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 Sayulita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Sayulita?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,135 in Sayulita, so Sayulita is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Sayulita?
You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,703 in Sayulita 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 Sayulita?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $513 in Sayulita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Sayulita?
Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $207 in Sayulita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,135 in Sayulita versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sayulita but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sayulita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Sayulita?
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 Sayulita safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Sayulita are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Sayulita?
Expats usually find Sayulita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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