Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Melbourne $2,853
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Melbourne $4,275
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Melbourne $5,697
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Melbourne is roughly 30% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$17.04 €15.15

0.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$62.3 €55.4

33.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$11.02 €9.80

12.79%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.12 €2.78

29.81%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.27 €2.02

37.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.74 €1.55

41.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$3.42 €3.04

178.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$3.74 €3.33

118.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.17 €1.04

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.86 €1.66

55.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.54 €1.37

72.73%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$4.06 €3.61

32.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$12.91 €11.49

-17.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$7.90 €7.03

24.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$17.64 €15.69

-12.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.26 €2.01

84.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.75 €1.55

80.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.89 €1.68

72.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$2.56 €2.27

85.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.85 €1.64

65.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.97 €1.75

25.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.45 €1.29

68.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.77 €0.69

111.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$6.71 €5.97

573.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$5.67 €5.04

123.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$1.37 €1.22

315.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.11 €1.88

147.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$2.32 €2.07

66.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$44.43 €39.52

219.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.95 €3.51

14.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.05 €0.93

35.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$17.15 €15.26

78.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$2.19 €1.95

-32.88%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$33.8K €30.0K

-14.56%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.27%

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

$235 A$338

$164 €146

43.53%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$18.48 €16.43

48.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$32.96 €29.32

70.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$45.87 €40.80

9.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$18.68 €16.61

15.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$9.75 €8.67

82.15%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$684 €608

248.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$17.6K €15.7K

68.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$104 €92.3

-23.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$46.20 €41.09

7.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$99.7 €88.7

18.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$125 €111

5.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$1,589 €1,414

10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$1,169 €1,040

20.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$2,851 €2,536

23.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$1,993 €1,773

26.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$7,793 €6,932

-8.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$4,418 €3,930

43.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$1,600 €1,423

166.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.85

53.25%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 17.2% $242

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 29.7% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 32.5% $103

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 20.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 1.3% $2.2

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 62.8% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 23.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 166% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

05:47 5:47 AM

10 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Lisbon 17,760 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Melbourne vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Lisbon differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 166% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, Melbourne and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.