Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Vacoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $750 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Vacoas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $750 in Vacoas.

Lisbon $2,210
Vacoas $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,104 in Vacoas.

Lisbon $3,275
Vacoas $1,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,458 in Vacoas.

Lisbon $4,341
Vacoas $1,458

Living in Lisbon is roughly 195% more expensive than in Vacoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Vacoas is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$5.95 MUR 280

179.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$32.47 MUR 1,530

90.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.31 MUR 297

80.03%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.58 MUR 122

15.12%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.15 MUR 54.0

99.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.62 MUR 29.22

180.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.66 MUR 125

27.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.91 MUR 184

-15.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.40 MUR 65.8

-17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.73 MUR 34.38

161.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.16 MUR 54.6

30.17%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.24 MUR 106

79.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$2.71 MUR 128

377.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$2.62 MUR 124

196.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$11.51 MUR 542

54.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.59 MUR 122

-11.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.22 MUR 104

-22.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.43 MUR 67.4

30.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.90 MUR 136

-10.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.02 MUR 47.88

78.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.01 MUR 47.59

95.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.75 MUR 35.16

96.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.72 MUR 33.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.30 MUR 297

4.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.42 MUR 303

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.45 MUR 68.3

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.37 MUR 112

-9.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.30 MUR 61.4

79.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.24 MUR 200

-9.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.25 MUR 153

-67.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$4.16 MUR 196

295.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.41 MUR 66.5

56.03%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$29.6K MUR 1.4M

15.53%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

22.95%

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

$161 €144

$44.84 MUR 2,113

259.55%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$10.49 MUR 495

75.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$24.48 MUR 1,154

33.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$25.26 MUR 1,191

76.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.33 MUR 251

80.11%

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

$668 €598

$126 MUR 5,934

430.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,579 MUR 357.2K

132.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$31.56 MUR 1,487

223.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$38.24 MUR 1,802

16.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$64.3 MUR 3,030

53.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$47.72 MUR 2,249

159.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$262 MUR 12.4K

513.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$223 MUR 10.5K

433.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$472 MUR 22.3K

495.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$231 MUR 10.9K

773.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$688 MUR 32.4K

129.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.67

-42.28%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Vacoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Vacoas

$223 29.7% 81.3% $967

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Vacoas

$179 23.8% 34.4% $94

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Vacoas

$126 16.7% 48.2% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Vacoas

$80 10.6% 62.4% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Vacoas

$82 10.9% 50.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Vacoas

$36 4.8% 43.6% $28

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Vacoas

$26 * 3.4% 59.3% $38

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $262 in Vacoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.3 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 $32 in Vacoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $179 per month, with Vacoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

02:14 2:14 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Vacoas 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Vacoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $750 in Vacoas, so Vacoas is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.3 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 $262 in Vacoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% 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 $750 in Vacoas – Vacoas is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Vacoas wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.