Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matera and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,484 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Matera
Learn more

Matera Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,484

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,484 in Matera versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Matera $1,484
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,356 in Matera versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Matera $2,356
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,227 in Matera versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Matera $3,227
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Matera costs roughly 33% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Matera 9% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$16.65 €14.91

-8.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 €54.3

$61.7 €55.3

-1.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 €10.16

$11.36 €10.17

-0.18%

Cappuccino

$1.88 €1.68

$2.97 €2.66

-36.70%

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

$2.27 €2.03

$2.29 €2.05

-0.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.74 €1.56

-37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.40 €3.05

68.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.31 €2.96

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.16 €1.04

36.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.91 €1.71

-9.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$1.51 €1.35

117.22%

Eggs

$3.52 €3.15

$4.02 €3.60

-12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.39 €13.79

$12.94 €11.59

18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.28 €11.00

$7.77 €6.96

58.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 €18.67

$17.76 €15.91

17.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.36

$2.30 €2.06

14.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.73 €1.55

24.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.86 €1.66

-39.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 €3.41

$2.59 €2.32

46.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.82 €1.63

-2.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.97 €1.76

-16.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.47 €1.32

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 €0.42

$0.72 €0.65

-34.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.05

$6.58 €5.90

2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 €5.68

$5.61 €5.02

13.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.36 €1.22

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 €2.79

$2.14 €1.91

45.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.33 €2.09

-26.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.20 €18.09

$44.68 €40.01

-54.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.96

$3.85 €3.45

15.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.07 €0.96

11.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.74 €21.26

$16.46 €14.74

44.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.20 €1.97

-8.18%

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

$35.1K €31.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

2.72%

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

$37.3K €33.4K

$38.7K €34.7K

-3.56%

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

$197 €177

$161 €144

22.48%

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

$9.37 €8.39

$18.41 €16.49

-49.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 €27.53

$32.74 €29.32

-6.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.56

$44.55 €39.90

24.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.43 €20.98

$19.10 €17.10

22.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.90

$9.60 €8.60

3.54%

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

$448 €401

$668 €598

-32.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,918 €7,092

$17.6K €15.8K

-55.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.2 €60.2

$102 €91.4

-34.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.87 €38.39

$44.46 €39.82

-3.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.3

$98.5 €88.2

6.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$124 €111

8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 €632

$1,608 €1,440

-56.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 €377

$1,190 €1,066

-64.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 €918

$2,812 €2,519

-63.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 €753

$2,013 €1,803

-58.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,772 €2,483

$7,839 €7,021

-64.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,179 €2,847

$4,576 €4,098

-30.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 €1,568

$1,575 €1,411

11.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

3.85

-20.00%

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

Last update for Matera: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matera

$421 28.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 183% $769

Groceries & Markets

Matera

$328 22.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 17% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matera

$238 16%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 10.6% $25

Eating Out

Matera

$228 15.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 6.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Matera

$158 10.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.3% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Matera

$75 5.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 15.3% $11

Getting Around

Matera

$37 2.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 68.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Matera and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Matera pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Matera vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Matera

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

04:30 4:30 AM

1 h behind Matera

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,607

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matera Lisbon 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Matera
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

Matera vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,484 in Matera and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Matera is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Matera, 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: $705 in Matera versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,484 per month in Matera versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Matera is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Matera 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, Matera and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.