Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Taipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipa: $2,021 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Taipa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,021 in Taipa.

Lisbon $2,223
Taipa $2,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,160 in Taipa.

Lisbon $3,271
Taipa $3,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,299 in Taipa.

Lisbon $4,319
Taipa $4,299

Living in Lisbon is roughly 10% more expensive than in Taipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Taipa 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$6.00 MOP 48.48

175.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$56.1 MOP 453

9.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$5.92 MOP 47.82

90.37%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$5.06 MOP 40.93

-39.53%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.71 MOP 5.74

218.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.38 MOP 3.09

355.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.78 MOP 46.75

-41.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$7.13 MOP 57.6

-52.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.14 MOP 25.40

-64.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.74 MOP 14.05

6.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.64 MOP 13.29

-6.71%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.50 MOP 28.33

13.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$15.93 MOP 129

-19.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$19.63 MOP 159

-59.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$29.44 MOP 238

-42.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.70 MOP 21.86

-15.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.95 MOP 23.82

-40.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.88 MOP 15.22

-1.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.42 MOP 19.56

6.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.88 MOP 31.39

-52.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.90 MOP 23.41

-30.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.67 MOP 5.42

114.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.14 MOP 9.20

-28.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.79 MOP 54.9

-3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.53 MOP 101

-55.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.77 MOP 14.31

-27.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.27 MOP 18.36

-8.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.58 MOP 20.88

54.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.24 MOP 10.05

-12.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$14.64 MOP 118

13.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.79 MOP 14.50

27.37%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$31.4K MOP 254.1K

7.14%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$32.0K MOP 258.6K

22.82%

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

$167 €149

$121 MOP 974

38.94%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$23.97 MOP 194

-21.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$37.43 MOP 303

-11.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$74.4 MOP 601

-38.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$3.68 MOP 29.76

421.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$12.55 MOP 101

-21.59%

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

$677 €602

$1,217 MOP 9,835

-44.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$18.8K MOP 152.1K

-10.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$68.7 MOP 555

47.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$32.83 MOP 265

39.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$93.0 MOP 752

7.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$134 MOP 1,080

-8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,053 MOP 8,515

53.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$982 MOP 7,936

21.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,091 MOP 16.9K

36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,906 MOP 15.4K

4.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$16.1K MOP 129.7K

-52.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$13.5K MOP 109.3K

-68.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

28.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taipa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Taipa

$982 48.6% 18% $215

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Taipa

$427 21.1% 58.4% $157

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Taipa

$174 8.6% 28.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Taipa

$182 9% 17.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Taipa

$148 7.3% 11.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Taipa

$99 4.9% 51.4% $34

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4% 86% $54

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 $1,053 in Taipa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $56.0 in Taipa. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $427, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇴 Taipa

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

17:28 5:28 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

78,497

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Macanese Pataca MOP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Taipa 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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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 Taipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Taipa differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,021 including rent). Taipa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $3,031 in Taipa 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,053 in Taipa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 58% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,021 in Taipa – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,021 in Taipa versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Taipa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Taipa 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 Taipa 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 Taipa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.