Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendrisio and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,034 in Mendrisio versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Mendrisio $3,034
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,758 in Mendrisio versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Mendrisio $3,758
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,483 in Mendrisio versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Mendrisio $4,483
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Mendrisio is roughly 36% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mendrisio 125% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.26 CHF 28.21

$16.50 €14.67

107.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$177 CHF 146

$61.3 €54.5

188.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.99 CHF 15.64

$11.27 €10.03

68.50%

Cappuccino

$4.80 CHF 3.96

$3.06 €2.72

56.86%

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

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$2.26 €2.01

139.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$1.73 €1.54

152.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.36 CHF 6.88

$3.39 €3.02

146.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 CHF 5.79

$3.40 €3.02

106.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$1.12 €1.00

94.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$1.86 €1.65

98.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$1.53 €1.36

171.24%

Eggs

$7.07 CHF 5.83

$3.96 €3.53

78.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.44 CHF 20.95

$12.76 €11.35

99.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.11 CHF 23.15

$7.90 €7.02

255.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.04 CHF 32.15

$16.97 €15.09

130.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$2.27 €2.02

38.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$1.75 €1.55

-2.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.11

$1.85 €1.64

38.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.49 CHF 5.35

$2.57 €2.28

152.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$1.86 €1.65

-1.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.02 €1.80

5.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$1.44 €1.28

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.96

$0.82 €0.73

41.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 CHF 8.84

$6.56 €5.83

63.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 CHF 12.06

$5.62 €5.00

160.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$1.28 €1.14

162.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 CHF 3.36

$2.07 €1.84

97.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$2.35 €2.09

28.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 CHF 5.82

$3.99 €3.55

77.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.38 CHF 4.43

$1.09 €0.97

393.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.3 CHF 64.5

$16.64 €14.81

370.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.28 €2.03

-3.51%

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

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

2.82%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-1.81%

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

$304 CHF 250

$167 €149

81.32%

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

$25.15 CHF 20.71

$18.80 €16.72

33.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.38 CHF 39.85

$33.09 €29.43

46.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 CHF 60.2

$46.01 €40.93

58.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$21.74 CHF 17.91

$9.84 €8.75

120.93%

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

$3,187 CHF 2,625

$677 €602

370.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

127.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 87.8

$101 €90.1

5.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 CHF 39.14

$45.76 €40.70

3.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 CHF 135

$100.0 €88.9

64.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 CHF 137

$123 €109

35.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 CHF 1,137

$1,614 €1,436

-14.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 CHF 987

$1,197 €1,065

0.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,944 CHF 5,719

$1,588 €1,412

337.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

3.85

-38.44%

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

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 0.1% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Mendrisio

$594 19.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 54.6% $324

Eating Out

Mendrisio

$484 15.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 49.9% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendrisio

$377 12.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 41.8% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Mendrisio

$218 7.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 23.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Mendrisio

$117 3.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 43.6% $51

Getting Around

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 36.7% $17

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 $1,381 in Mendrisio and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mendrisio pays 337% 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: $177 in Mendrisio vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $594 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

1 h behind Mendrisio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,562

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Mendrisio Lisbon 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mendrisio
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

Mendrisio vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mendrisio and Lisbon differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($3,034 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 337% higher in Mendrisio, 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: $1,381 in Mendrisio versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 120% higher in Mendrisio. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,034 per month in Mendrisio versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,034 in Mendrisio, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Mendrisio. 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, Mendrisio 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 36% less than in Mendrisio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.