Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

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

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/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: $814 in Merida versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Merida $814
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,418 in Merida versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Merida $1,418
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,021 in Merida versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Merida $2,021
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Merida costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Merida is 40% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 VES 10.4K

$16.50 €14.67

-27.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 VES 53.4K

$61.3 €54.5

-0.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 VES 9,500

$11.27 €10.03

-3.99%

Cappuccino

$2.54 VES 2,226

$3.06 €2.72

-16.99%

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

$2.13 VES 1,867

$2.26 €2.01

-5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 VES 1,195

$1.73 €1.54

-21.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 VES 1,727

$3.39 €3.02

-41.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 VES 2,644

$3.40 €3.02

-11.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 VES 1,788

$1.12 €1.00

82.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 VES 2,913

$1.86 €1.65

78.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 VES 1,759

$1.53 €1.36

30.72%

Eggs

$2.51 VES 2,201

$3.96 €3.53

-36.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 VES 5,965

$12.76 €11.35

-46.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 VES 6,912

$7.90 €7.02

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 VES 6,421

$16.97 €15.09

-56.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 VES 4,488

$2.27 €2.02

125.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 VES 1,267

$1.75 €1.55

-17.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 VES 2,426

$1.85 €1.64

49.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 VES 2,070

$2.57 €2.28

-8.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 VES 1,735

$1.86 €1.65

6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 VES 1,194

$2.02 €1.80

-32.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 VES 1,307

$1.44 €1.28

3.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 VES 2,217

$0.82 €0.73

208.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 VES 3,258

$6.56 €5.83

-43.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 VES 9,812

$5.62 €5.00

98.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 VES 1,233

$1.28 €1.14

9.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 VES 1,944

$2.07 €1.84

6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 VES 253

$2.35 €2.09

-87.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 VES 3,469

$3.99 €3.55

-1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 VES 1,300

$1.09 €0.97

35.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 VES 5,144

$16.64 €14.81

-64.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.72 VES 629

$2.28 €2.03

-68.42%

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

$45.7K VES 40.1M

$33.7K €30.0K

35.78%

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

$50.5K VES 44.3M

$39.3K €35.0K

28.51%

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

$12.37 VES 10.9K

$167 €149

-92.61%

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

$10.13 VES 8,894

$18.80 €16.72

-46.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 VES 25.9K

$33.09 €29.43

-10.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.41 VES 25.8K

$46.01 €40.93

-36.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.79 VES 13.0K

$19.19 €17.07

-22.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 VES 4,325

$9.84 €8.75

-49.90%

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

$88.5 VES 77.7K

$677 €602

-86.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,399 VES 2.1M

$16.9K €15.1K

-85.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 VES 63.7K

$101 €90.1

-28.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 VES 37.2K

$45.76 €40.70

-7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 VES 85.5K

$100.0 €88.9

-2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 VES 86.3K

$123 €109

-19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 VES 116.2K

$1,614 €1,436

-91.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 VES 82.1K

$1,197 €1,065

-92.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 VES 196.9K

$2,862 €2,545

-92.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 VES 169.8K

$1,990 €1,770

-90.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,184 VES 1.0M

$7,577 €6,740

-84.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,211 VES 1.1M

$4,307 €3,831

-71.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 VES 254.9K

$1,588 €1,412

-81.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

549.35%

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

Last update for Merida: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$289 35.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 6.8% $20

Eating Out

Merida

$188 23.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 28.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$140 17.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 19.1% $27

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$94 11.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 1179% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$52 6.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 322% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$39 4.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 67.3% $26

Getting Around

Merida

$13 * 1.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 404% $50

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 $132 in Merida and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 447% 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: $61.0 in Merida vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Merida

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

00:25 12:25 AM

5 h ahead of Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,303

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merida Lisbon 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Merida
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

Merida vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merida and Lisbon differ by about 173% in total monthly costs ($814 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 447% 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: $132 in Merida versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $814 per month in Merida versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 173% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $814 in Merida versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 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 173% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.