Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iraq and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $755 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$755

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $755 in Mashhad versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Mashhad $755
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,120 in Mashhad versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Mashhad $1,120
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,485 in Mashhad versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Mashhad $1,485
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 66% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mashhad is 45% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 IQD 7,018

$16.65 €14.87

-72.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.90 IQD 40.6K

$61.7 €55.2

-56.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 IQD 9,894

$11.36 €10.14

-42.34%

Cappuccino

$2.80 IQD 4,231

$2.97 €2.65

-5.72%

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

$0.39 IQD 582

$2.29 €2.04

-82.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$1.74 €1.56

-88.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 IQD 4,955

$3.40 €3.04

-3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 IQD 4,900

$3.31 €2.96

-2.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 IQD 1,371

$1.16 €1.03

-21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$1.91 €1.71

-64.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 IQD 2,045

$1.51 €1.35

-10.60%

Eggs

$0.87 IQD 1,308

$4.02 €3.59

-78.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.29 IQD 4,978

$12.94 €11.56

-74.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.96 IQD 2,956

$7.77 €6.94

-74.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.96 IQD 4,470

$17.76 €15.86

-83.33%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 IQD 1,431

$2.30 €2.06

-58.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,359

$1.73 €1.55

-47.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$1.86 €1.66

-52.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 961

$2.59 €2.31

-75.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 IQD 820

$1.82 €1.63

-70.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 IQD 834

$1.97 €1.76

-72.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 IQD 436

$1.47 €1.31

-80.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 IQD 289

$0.72 €0.65

-73.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.81 IQD 1,227

$6.58 €5.88

-87.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.59 IQD 17.5K

$5.61 €5.01

106.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 IQD 2,930

$1.36 €1.22

42.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 IQD 2,985

$2.14 €1.91

-7.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 IQD 558

$2.33 €2.08

-84.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,967

$3.85 €3.44

-49.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 IQD 1,955

$1.07 €0.96

20.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

$16.46 €14.70

-58.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 IQD 887

$2.20 €1.97

-73.18%

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

$16.3K IQD 24.6M

$34.2K €30.5K

-52.30%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$38.7K €34.6K

-56.64%

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

$194 IQD 293.8K

$161 €144

20.61%

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

$19.88 IQD 30.0K

$18.41 €16.44

7.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.86 IQD 58.7K

$32.74 €29.24

18.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.63 IQD 61.4K

$44.55 €39.79

-8.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

Cinema Ticket

$9.72 IQD 14.7K

$9.60 €8.57

1.25%

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

$148 IQD 223.2K

$668 €596

-77.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,231 IQD 4.9M

$17.6K €15.7K

-81.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.42 IQD 38.4K

$102 €91.1

-75.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.22 IQD 51.7K

$44.46 €39.72

-23.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.6 IQD 88.6K

$98.5 €88.0

-40.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.71 IQD 63.0K

$124 €110

-66.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 IQD 287.6K

$1,608 €1,437

-88.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 IQD 198.5K

$1,190 €1,063

-88.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$367 IQD 555.0K

$2,812 €2,512

-86.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 IQD 470.4K

$2,013 €1,798

-84.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$785 IQD 1.2M

$7,839 €7,002

-89.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$464 IQD 701.8K

$4,576 €4,087

-89.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

3.85

7.01%

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

Last update for Mashhad: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$253 33.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 16.1% $41

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$131 17.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 806% $1.1K

Eating Out

Mashhad

$116 15.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 110% $127

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$113 15%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 141% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$72 9.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 130% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$60 8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 6.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 538% $53

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 $190 in Mashhad and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Mashhad vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $272 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

3 h behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,692 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Lisbon 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $755 in Mashhad and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Mashhad is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,133 in Mashhad 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: $190 in Mashhad versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 141% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $755 per month in Mashhad versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Mashhad is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $755 in Mashhad versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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, Mashhad and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.