Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Madrid and in Lisbon: $2,265 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madrid 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 Madrid and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Madrid $2,265
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Madrid versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Madrid $3,311
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Madrid versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Madrid $4,356
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Madrid is roughly 3% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 67% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 €16.06

$17.04 €15.15

5.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$62.3 €55.4

6.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.14

$11.02 €9.80

3.45%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.69

$3.12 €2.78

-2.88%

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

$3.25 €2.89

$2.27 €2.02

43.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.74 €1.55

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$3.42 €3.04

12.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.29

$3.74 €3.33

28.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.17 €1.04

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.86 €1.66

-13.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.54 €1.37

13.64%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.54

$12.91 €11.49

26.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.55

$7.90 €7.03

21.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 €15.50

$17.64 €15.69

-1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.26 €2.01

16.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.93

$1.75 €1.55

24.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.89 €1.68

32.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.56 €2.27

1.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.85 €1.64

21.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.97 €1.75

5.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.45 €1.29

7.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.77 €0.69

40.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 €5.96

$6.71 €5.97

-0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.95

$5.67 €5.04

37.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.37 €1.22

-10.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.11 €1.88

6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.32 €2.07

-29.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.72 €33.56

$44.43 €39.52

-15.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.95 €3.51

-3.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.05 €0.93

41.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 €26.68

$17.15 €15.26

74.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.19 €1.95

-18.26%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$33.8K €30.0K

-0.39%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$38.3K €34.0K

-13.09%

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

$190 €169

$164 €146

16.16%

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

$17.57 €15.63

$18.48 €16.43

-4.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 €31.43

$32.96 €29.32

7.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.04

$45.87 €40.80

7.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €16.19

$18.68 €16.61

-2.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 €9.87

$9.75 €8.67

13.74%

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

$684 €609

$684 €608

0.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$17.6K €15.7K

3.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$104 €92.3

-15.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 €37.41

$46.20 €41.09

-8.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.3

$99.7 €88.7

10.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$125 €111

-9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,342

$1,589 €1,414

-5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$1,169 €1,040

-0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$2,851 €2,536

-1.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,661

$1,993 €1,773

-6.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,017 €8,021

$7,793 €6,932

15.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,294 €3,819

$4,418 €3,930

-2.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,495 €2,219

$1,600 €1,423

55.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

3.85

-18.44%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 0.6% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 11.2% $35

Eating Out

Madrid

$266 11.8%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$243 10.7%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 11.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$159 7%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 6% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 8.8% $6.3

Getting Around

Madrid

$56 2.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 13.3% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,509 in Madrid and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 56% 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: $66.0 in Madrid vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h behind Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Madrid Lisbon 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
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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

Madrid vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madrid and Lisbon differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,265 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Madrid, 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: $1,509 in Madrid versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, Madrid 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.