Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Xai-Xai

For one person, living is cheaper in Xai-Xai: $680 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Xai-Xai
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Xai-Xai Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Xai-Xai

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$680

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Xai-Xai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $680 in Xai-Xai.

Lisbon $2,223
Xai-Xai $680

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,143 in Xai-Xai.

Lisbon $3,271
Xai-Xai $1,143

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,607 in Xai-Xai.

Lisbon $4,319
Xai-Xai $1,607

Living in Lisbon is roughly 227% more expensive than in Xai-Xai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Xai-Xai is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$10.00 MZN 632

65.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$62.2 MZN 3,932

-1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.29 MZN 461

54.60%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.25 MZN 142

36.00%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.86 MZN 54.6

162.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.70 MZN 44.08

147.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.54 MZN 97.6

120.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.37 MZN 150

43.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.52 MZN 96.1

-26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.03 MZN 65.4

80.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.59 MZN 101

-3.77%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.43 MZN 154

62.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$21.25 MZN 1,344

-39.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$5.69 MZN 360

38.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$5.55 MZN 351

205.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.99 MZN 126

14.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$0.76 MZN 48.08

130.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.63 MZN 103

13.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.05 MZN 66.2

144.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.01 MZN 63.7

84.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.79 MZN 50.2

155.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.93 MZN 58.9

54.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.86 MZN 54.5

-4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$2.74 MZN 174

139.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.08 MZN 638

-44.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.99 MZN 62.5

29.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.28 MZN 81.1

61.72%

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

$1.55 MZN 98.0

157.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.19 MZN 75.4

-8.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$24.71 MZN 1,563

-32.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.41 MZN 89.4

61.70%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.1K MZN 2.0M

4.78%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$22.8K MZN 1.4M

72.15%

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

$167 €149

$70.5 MZN 4,459

137.57%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$7.86 MZN 497

139.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$88.5 MZN 5,597

-62.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.01 MZN 507

22.85%

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

$677 €602

$129 MZN 8,179

423.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$5,214 MZN 329.8K

224.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$49.93 MZN 3,158

102.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$56.0 MZN 3,541

-18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$78.1 MZN 4,938

28.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$80.1 MZN 5,065

53.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-84.60%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Xai-Xai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Xai-Xai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Xai-Xai

$223 32.8% 17.2% $46

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Xai-Xai

$148 21.7% 39.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Xai-Xai

$167 24.5% 23.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Xai-Xai

$119 17.5% 28.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Xai-Xai

$16 * 2.4% 75.6% $50

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Xai-Xai

$7.5 * 1.1% 88.1% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $62.0 in Xai-Xai. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $223, with Xai-Xai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇿 Xai-Xai

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

116,343

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Xai-Xai 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Xai-Xai

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 Xai-Xai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Xai-Xai differ by about 227% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $680 including rent). Xai-Xai 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 $1,020 in Xai-Xai 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% 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 $680 in Xai-Xai – a 227% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $680 in Xai-Xai versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Xai-Xai but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Xai-Xai 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 Xai-Xai 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 Xai-Xai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.