Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zapopan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zapopan: $1,509 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Zapopan
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Zapopan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zapopan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,509 in Zapopan.

Lisbon $2,202
Zapopan $1,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,182 in Zapopan.

Lisbon $3,274
Zapopan $2,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,856 in Zapopan.

Lisbon $4,346
Zapopan $2,856

Living in Lisbon is roughly 46% more expensive than in Zapopan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Zapopan 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$10.79 MX$199

57.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$32.37 MX$598

92.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.03 MX$204

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.63 MX$67.2

-14.05%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.16 MX$21.42

95.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.12 MX$20.67

55.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.20 MX$40.62

55.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.39 MX$81.1

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.48 MX$27.28

-20.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.63 MX$48.56

-29.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.16 MX$21.35

32.76%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.83 MX$52.3

43.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.28 MX$153

55.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.90 MX$183

-20.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$9.72 MX$180

81.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.91 MX$53.7

-22.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.37 MX$25.41

27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.77 MX$32.64

6.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.16 MX$39.85

18.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.24 MX$41.36

-17.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.48 MX$45.84

-20.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.86 MX$34.38

-22.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.17 MX$21.57

-34.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.54 MX$102

21.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.53 MX$121

-13.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.78 MX$32.89

-23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.85 MX$52.7

-25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.54 MX$10.02

329.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$32.91 MX$608

35.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.47 MX$45.58

59.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.40 MX$44.30

-56.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$9.32 MX$172

84.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.49 MX$27.55

46.98%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$24.4K MX$450.2K

38.65%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$24.0K MX$443.3K

59.50%

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

$164 €146

$123 MX$2,275

33.06%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$24.57 MX$454

-24.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$29.39 MX$543

12.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$43.59 MX$805

5.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$13.55 MX$250

37.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.56 MX$103

75.36%

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

$684 €608

$166 MX$3,061

312.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,914 MX$127.8K

154.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$45.52 MX$841

127.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$25.36 MX$469

82.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$73.6 MX$1,359

35.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$117 MX$2,170

6.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$985 MX$18.2K

61.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$656 MX$12.1K

78.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,671 MX$30.9K

70.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,014 MX$18.7K

96.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,703 MX$105.4K

36.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,501 MX$27.7K

194.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$979 MX$18.1K

63.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.3

-65.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zapopan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Zapopan

$656 43.5% 43.9% $513

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Zapopan

$262 17.4% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Zapopan

$192 12.7% 22.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Zapopan

$177 11.7% 17.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Zapopan

$118 7.8% 30.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Zapopan

$55 3.6% 16.3% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zapopan

$50 3.3% 21.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $985 in Zapopan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 63% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $32.00 in Zapopan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $262 per month, with Zapopan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇽 Zapopan

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

7 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,257,547

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Zapopan 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Zapopan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zapopan differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,509 including rent). Zapopan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $985 in Zapopan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $166 in Zapopan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,509 in Zapopan versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zapopan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zapopan 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 Zapopan 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 Zapopan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.