Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Madeira: $1,599 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,599

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madeira and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Madeira and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Madeira versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Madeira $1,599
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,361 in Madeira versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Madeira $2,361
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,124 in Madeira versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Madeira $3,124
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Madeira costs roughly 28% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madeira 17% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.47 €10.30

$16.65 €14.95

-31.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.47

$61.7 €55.5

-25.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 €8.29

$11.36 €10.20

-18.75%

Cappuccino

$2.06 €1.85

$2.97 €2.67

-30.64%

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

$1.86 €1.67

$2.29 €2.06

-18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.26

$1.74 €1.56

-19.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.03

$3.40 €3.06

-33.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.19

$3.31 €2.97

7.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.16 €1.04

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.37

$1.91 €1.72

-20.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.51 €1.36

6.62%

Eggs

$3.02 €2.71

$4.02 €3.61

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 €10.06

$12.94 €11.62

-13.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 €6.92

$7.77 €6.98

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 €12.60

$17.76 €15.95

-21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.30 €2.07

2.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.73 €1.56

-18.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.67

$1.86 €1.67

-0.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.25

$2.59 €2.33

-3.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.37

$1.82 €1.64

-16.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.97 €1.77

-1.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.47 €1.32

6.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.75

$0.72 €0.65

15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.52

$6.58 €5.91

-6.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 €4.80

$5.61 €5.04

-4.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.12

$1.36 €1.22

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.16

$2.14 €1.92

12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.33 €2.10

-2.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.12 €37.83

$44.68 €40.14

-5.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 €3.71

$3.85 €3.46

7.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.07 €0.96

-24.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 €15.69

$16.46 €14.79

6.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.20 €1.98

-13.18%

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

$34.7K €31.2K

$34.2K €30.7K

1.50%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

1.20%

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

$137 €123

$161 €145

-14.81%

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

$21.23 €19.07

$18.41 €16.54

15.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.41 €37.19

$32.74 €29.41

26.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.27 €39.77

$44.55 €40.02

-0.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.51 €15.73

$19.10 €17.16

-8.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 €7.32

$9.60 €8.62

-15.10%

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

$476 €428

$668 €600

-28.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,168 €7,337

$17.6K €15.8K

-53.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €65.1

$102 €91.6

-28.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.12 €34.24

$44.46 €39.94

-14.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €83.0

$98.5 €88.5

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 €84.4

$124 €111

-24.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 €817

$1,608 €1,445

-43.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €651

$1,190 €1,069

-39.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 €1,316

$2,812 €2,526

-47.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,059

$2,013 €1,808

-41.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,005 €2,700

$7,839 €7,042

-61.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,314 €2,079

$4,576 €4,110

-49.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

3.85

30.13%

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

Last update for Madeira: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madeira

$725 45.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 64.3% $466

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 10.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$200 12.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 6.2% $12

Eating Out

Madeira

$176 11%

Lisbon

$243 11% 38.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 24.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$61 3.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 5.2% $3.2

Getting Around

Madeira

$59 3.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 6.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $910 in Madeira and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Madeira vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $272 per month, with Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

Same time as Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madeira Lisbon 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
Lisbon

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

Madeira vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madeira and Lisbon differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $2,210 including rent). Madeira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,399 in Madeira and $3,315 in Lisbon 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: $910 in Madeira versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Madeira versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Madeira is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Madeira is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Madeira and Lisbon 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 Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.