Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zihuatanejo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,131 in Zihuatanejo.

Lisbon $2,202
Zihuatanejo $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,824 in Zihuatanejo.

Lisbon $3,274
Zihuatanejo $1,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,517 in Zihuatanejo.

Lisbon $4,346
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Living in Lisbon is roughly 95% more expensive than in Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zihuatanejo is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.18

$10.86 MX$203

56.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.5

$44.16 MX$827

41.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.82

$8.74 MX$164

26.09%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.48 MX$65.2

-10.34%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.36 MX$25.45

66.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.02 MX$19.08

70.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.05

$2.45 MX$45.89

39.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.98 MX$74.4

-6.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.66 MX$31.05

-29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.55 MX$47.69

-27.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.65 MX$30.90

-6.67%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.62

$2.44 MX$45.61

66.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.51

$8.11 MX$152

59.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$8.52 MX$159

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.73

$11.56 MX$216

52.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.72 MX$51.0

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.56 MX$29.27

12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.94 MX$36.39

-2.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.77 MX$33.10

44.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.94 MX$36.24

-4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.88 MX$35.15

4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.43 MX$26.71

1.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.09 MX$20.47

-29.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.98

$4.28 MX$80.1

56.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.05

$10.27 MX$192

-44.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.82 MX$34.04

-24.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.06 MX$57.3

-31.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.68 MX$12.77

241.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.60

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$2.61 MX$48.93

51.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$2.02 MX$37.88

-48.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.29

$11.18 MX$209

53.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.44 MX$26.93

52.08%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$21.3K MX$398.4K

58.70%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

60.23%

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

$164 €146

$57.3 MX$1,072

186.08%

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

$18.48 €16.47

$23.00 MX$431

-19.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.38

$29.80 MX$558

10.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.88

$34.76 MX$651

31.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.65

$20.02 MX$375

-6.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.69

$5.14 MX$96.2

89.69%

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

$684 €610

$216 MX$4,041

216.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$4,526 MX$84.7K

289.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.5

$55.5 MX$1,038

86.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.18

$40.25 MX$753

14.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.9

$98.5 MX$1,844

1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$90.0 MX$1,684

38.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,417

$596 MX$11.1K

166.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,042

$384 MX$7,182

204.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,541

$1,053 MX$19.7K

170.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,776

$759 MX$14.2K

162.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,946

$1,915 MX$35.8K

306.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,938

$1,149 MX$21.5K

284.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,426

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 Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 67.2% $785

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 3.4% $9.3

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 25.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 48.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 24.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 31.1% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 75.4% $47

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $44 in Zihuatanejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $264 per month, with Zihuatanejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

67,408

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Zihuatanejo 9,000 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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zihuatanejo differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,131 including rent). Zihuatanejo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $1,696 in Zihuatanejo 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,131 in Zihuatanejo – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo 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 Zihuatanejo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.