Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matara and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $576 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
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Matara Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$576

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $576 in Matara versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Matara $576
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $839 in Matara versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Matara $839
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,102 in Matara versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Matara $1,102
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Matara costs roughly 74% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matara is 58% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 LKR 1,241

$16.65 €14.95

-77.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.54 LKR 8,159

$61.7 €55.5

-60.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 LKR 2,503

$11.36 €10.20

-33.71%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 810

$2.97 €2.67

-17.85%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$2.29 €2.06

-70.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$1.74 €1.56

-85.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 LKR 741

$3.40 €3.06

-34.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,017

$3.31 €2.97

-7.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$1.16 €1.04

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 177

$1.91 €1.72

-72.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 253

$1.51 €1.36

-49.67%

Eggs

$1.53 LKR 509

$4.02 €3.61

-61.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 LKR 4,514

$12.94 €11.62

4.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 LKR 1,609

$7.77 €6.98

-37.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 LKR 2,415

$17.76 €15.95

-59.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.71 LKR 2,230

$2.30 €2.07

191.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.43 LKR 142

$1.73 €1.56

-75.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,481

$1.86 €1.67

139.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 LKR 302

$2.59 €2.33

-64.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.82 €1.64

-49.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 193

$1.97 €1.77

-70.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 295

$1.47 €1.32

-39.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 151

$0.72 €0.65

-36.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.85 LKR 3,276

$6.58 €5.91

49.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 LKR 4,303

$5.61 €5.04

130.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 LKR 596

$1.36 €1.22

31.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$2.14 €1.92

40.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 104

$2.33 €2.10

-86.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$3.85 €3.46

-89.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$1.07 €0.96

-67.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 317

$16.46 €14.79

-94.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 458

$2.20 €1.98

-37.27%

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

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

$34.2K €30.7K

29.39%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$38.7K €34.8K

6.76%

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

$46.17 LKR 15.4K

$161 €145

-71.36%

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

$4.22 LKR 1,403

$18.41 €16.54

-77.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.99 LKR 6,977

$32.74 €29.41

-35.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,530

$9.60 €8.62

-52.08%

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

$38.17 LKR 12.7K

$668 €600

-94.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,204 LKR 400.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

-93.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.04 LKR 5,997

$102 €91.6

-82.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.90 LKR 5,618

$44.46 €39.94

-61.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 LKR 26.2K

$98.5 €88.5

-19.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

$124 €111

-66.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$179 LKR 59.6K

$1,608 €1,445

-88.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$90.1 LKR 30.0K

$1,190 €1,069

-92.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$105 LKR 34.8K

$1,575 €1,415

-93.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

3.85

229.61%

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

Last update for Matara: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Matara

$229 39.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 18.9% $43

Eating Out

Matara

$103 17.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 136% $140

Accommodation & Living

Matara

$90 15.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 1221% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matara

$71 12.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 198% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Matara

$70 12.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 137% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Matara

$9.2 * 1.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 592% $55

Getting Around

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 1764% $60

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 $179 in Matara and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Matara vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $272 per month, with Matara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Matara

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

20:26 8:26 PM

5 h 30 min behind Matara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matara Lisbon 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Matara
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

Matara vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $576 in Matara and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Matara is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 93% lower in Matara. 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: $179 in Matara versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $576 per month in Matara versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Matara is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $576 in Matara versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matara but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Matara 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, Matara and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Matara wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.