Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahabad and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $528 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$528

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $528 in Mahabad versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Mahabad $528
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $831 in Mahabad versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Mahabad $831
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,135 in Mahabad versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Mahabad $1,135
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Mahabad costs roughly 76% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mahabad is 61% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 $2.92

$16.86 €15.02

-82.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.31 $16.31

$61.0 €54.4

-73.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 $3.99

$10.98 €9.78

-63.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$1.13 $1.13

$3.05 €2.72

-62.95%

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

$0.51 $0.51

$2.28 €2.03

-77.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.68 €1.50

-41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.15 €1.02

-40.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.89 €1.68

-73.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.50 €1.34

39.33%

Eggs

$1.24 $1.24

$4.12 €3.67

-69.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$13.01 €11.59

-65.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$8.04 €7.17

-58.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 $7.85

$17.89 €15.94

-56.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.27 €2.02

-54.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.74 €1.55

-8.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.82 €1.62

-52.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$2.69 €2.39

-78.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.77 €1.57

-67.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.94 €1.73

-75.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.46 €1.30

-63.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.76 €0.68

-68.42%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 $0.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 $2.46

$6.66 €5.93

-63.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 $0.14

$2.30 €2.05

-93.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.67 $9.67

$44.02 €39.21

-78.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 $0.44

$3.98 €3.55

-88.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.64 €0.57

-51.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$18.93 €16.86

-86.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$2.28 €2.03

-95.61%

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

$50.0K $50.0K

$33.4K €29.7K

49.74%

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

$45.4K $45.4K

$38.5K €34.3K

17.95%

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

$12.98 $12.98

$158 €141

-91.79%

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

$1.57 $1.57

$17.54 €15.62

-91.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.81 $3.81

$31.18 €27.78

-87.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.40 $18.40

$44.64 €39.77

-58.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.52 $13.52

$18.98 €16.91

-28.77%

Cinema Ticket

$2.04 $2.04

$9.58 €8.53

-78.71%

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

$107 $107

$674 €600

-84.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,442 $2,442

$18.7K €16.7K

-86.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.95 $22.95

$102 €91.0

-77.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.82 $27.82

$45.90 €40.89

-39.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 $98.5

$102 €91.0

-3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 $73.7

$122 €109

-39.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 $290

$1,641 €1,461

-82.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 $212

$1,187 €1,058

-82.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 $806

$2,825 €2,516

-71.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 $356

$2,018 €1,798

-82.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 $1,134

$7,836 €6,980

-85.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$541 $541

$4,701 €4,188

-88.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$254 $254

$1,687 €1,503

-84.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

3.82

536.13%

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

Last update for Mahabad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahabad

$212 40.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 460% $975

Groceries & Markets

Mahabad

$108 20.4%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 155% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Mahabad

$100 19%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 67% $67

Eating Out

Mahabad

$55 10.4%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 347% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Mahabad

$22 4.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 184% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahabad

$18 3.5%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 1026% $189

Getting Around

Mahabad

$12 2.3%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 395% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Mahabad and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Mahabad vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $275 per month, with Mahabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

3 h 30 min behind Mahabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,541

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mahabad Lisbon 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahabad
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mahabad vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $528 in Mahabad and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Mahabad is about 76% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Mahabad. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $290 in Mahabad versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $107 in Mahabad versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 155% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $528 in Mahabad versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mahabad but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mahabad 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, Mahabad and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mahabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.