Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,336 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,336

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,336 in Merida versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Merida $1,336
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,145 in Merida versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Merida $2,145
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,955 in Merida versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Merida $2,955
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Merida costs roughly 40% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Merida is 1% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.74 MX$254

$16.50 €14.67

-16.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 MX$1,010

$61.3 €54.5

-10.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 MX$148

$11.27 €10.03

-28.93%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$3.06 €2.72

26.14%

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

$1.13 MX$20.90

$2.26 €2.01

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.60

$1.73 €1.54

-32.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 MX$55.0

$3.39 €3.02

-12.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 MX$70.9

$3.40 €3.02

12.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.24

$1.12 €1.00

46.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$49.02

$1.86 €1.65

42.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.32

$1.53 €1.36

17.65%

Eggs

$1.95 MX$36.08

$3.96 €3.53

-50.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 MX$192

$12.76 €11.35

-18.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 MX$140

$7.90 €7.02

-4.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.34 MX$228

$16.97 €15.09

-27.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$52.2

$2.27 €2.02

24.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.68

$1.75 €1.55

-20.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.03

$1.85 €1.64

14.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.57 €2.28

-19.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.70

$1.86 €1.65

18.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.98

$2.02 €1.80

-8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.41

$1.44 €1.28

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.77

$0.82 €0.73

43.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MX$82.6

$6.56 €5.83

-31.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 MX$200

$5.62 €5.00

93.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MX$27.71

$1.28 €1.14

17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 MX$45.96

$2.07 €1.84

20.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.72

$2.35 €2.09

-70.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.37 MX$358

$44.18 €39.30

-56.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.24

$3.99 €3.55

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 MX$69.5

$1.09 €0.97

244.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 MX$163

$16.64 €14.81

-47.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.84

$2.28 €2.03

-31.58%

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

$21.3K MX$393.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-36.84%

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

$23.9K MX$441.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-39.18%

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

$115 MX$2,133

$167 €149

-31.07%

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

$21.17 MX$391

$18.80 €16.72

12.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.17 MX$631

$33.09 €29.43

3.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.22 MX$540

$46.01 €40.93

-36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.10 MX$224

$19.19 €17.07

-36.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 MX$140

$9.84 €8.75

-23.07%

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

$257 MX$4,744

$677 €602

-62.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,594 MX$66.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

-78.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 MX$998

$101 €90.1

-46.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 MX$983

$45.76 €40.70

16.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,902

$100.0 €88.9

2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 MX$1,547

$123 €109

-31.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 MX$11.4K

$1,614 €1,436

-61.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 MX$8,551

$1,197 €1,065

-61.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,862 €2,545

-55.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 MX$17.6K

$1,990 €1,770

-52.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,230 MX$41.2K

$7,577 €6,740

-70.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,223 MX$22.6K

$4,307 €3,831

-71.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 MX$11.0K

$1,588 €1,412

-62.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

3.85

202.34%

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

Last update for Merida: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$463 34.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 159% $734

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$270 20.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Merida

$212 15.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 14.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$171 12.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 28.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$132 9.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$44 3.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 48.1% $21

Getting Around

Merida

$44 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 44.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $617 in Merida and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 168% 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: $55.0 in Merida vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $270 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Merida

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

06:42 6:42 AM

7 h ahead of Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

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

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Merida Lisbon 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Merida
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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

Merida vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merida and Lisbon differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,336 vs $2,223 including rent). Merida is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 168% lower in Lisbon. 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: $617 in Merida versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $257 in Merida versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,336 in Merida versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Merida but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Merida 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, Merida 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 Merida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.