Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marseille and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Marseille: $2,045 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Marseille
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Marseille Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Marseille

🇫🇷 France

$2,045

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,045 in Marseille versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Marseille $2,045
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,211 in Marseille versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Marseille $3,211
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,377 in Marseille versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Marseille $4,377
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Marseille costs roughly 7% less than in Lisbon.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Marseille 51% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.11

$16.86 €14.98

0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €64.8

$61.0 €54.2

19.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.56 €12.05

$10.98 €9.75

23.50%

Cappuccino

$3.49 €3.10

$3.05 €2.71

14.43%

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

$3.14 €2.79

$2.28 €2.03

37.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.68 €1.49

16.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 €6.11

$3.44 €3.05

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 €5.83

$3.91 €3.47

68.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.15 €1.02

10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.89 €1.68

31.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$1.50 €1.33

104.00%

Eggs

$4.84 €4.30

$4.12 €3.66

17.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.99 €23.97

$13.01 €11.55

107.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.46 €12.85

$8.04 €7.15

79.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.82 €23.82

$17.89 €15.89

49.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 €3.35

$2.27 €2.02

66.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.74 €1.55

41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 €4.10

$1.82 €1.62

153.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 €3.49

$2.69 €2.39

46.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$1.77 €1.57

73.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.94 €1.72

24.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.46 €1.30

33.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.21

$0.76 €0.68

80.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.91 €12.35

$6.66 €5.91

108.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 €8.12

$5.64 €5.01

62.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 €2.85

$1.29 €1.15

148.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.94

$2.14 €1.90

107.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.30 €2.04

-10.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.50 €40.42

$44.02 €39.10

3.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 €2.35

$3.98 €3.54

-33.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 €1.13

$0.64 €0.57

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.57 €35.15

$18.93 €16.81

109.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.28 €2.02

0.88%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$33.4K €29.6K

2.92%

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

$38.9K €34.5K

$38.5K €34.2K

0.89%

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

$189 €168

$158 €141

19.77%

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

$17.74 €15.76

$17.54 €15.58

1.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.34 €32.28

$31.18 €27.70

16.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.07 €31.16

$44.64 €39.66

-21.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.55 €25.36

$18.98 €16.86

50.42%

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 €12.97

$9.58 €8.51

52.40%

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

$862 €766

$674 €598

27.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$18.7K €16.6K

-39.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €81.5

$102 €90.8

-10.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 €47.24

$45.90 €40.77

15.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €105

$102 €90.8

15.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €135

$122 €108

24.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €756

$1,641 €1,457

-48.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 €662

$1,187 €1,055

-37.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,516

$2,825 €2,509

-39.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 €1,251

$2,018 €1,793

-30.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,121 €4,549

$7,836 €6,960

-34.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,430 €3,047

$4,701 €4,176

-27.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,637 €2,342

$1,687 €1,499

56.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

3.82

2.36%

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

Last update for Marseille: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marseille

$745 36.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 59.4% $442

Groceries & Markets

Marseille

$456 22.3%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 39.8% $182

Eating Out

Marseille

$287 14%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 14.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marseille

$244 11.9%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 15% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Marseille

$187 9.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 10.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Marseille

$64 3.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Marseille

$63 3.1%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 3.7% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $852 in Marseille and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marseille pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73 in Marseille vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Marseille

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

16:42 4:42 PM

1 h behind Marseille

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

873,076

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Marseille Lisbon 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Marseille
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

Marseille vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 56% higher in Marseille, 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: $852 in Marseille versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $862 in Marseille versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 40% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Marseille is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Marseille and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.