Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mestre and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mestre: $1,784 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Mestre
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Mestre Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mestre

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,784

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,784 in Mestre versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Mestre $1,784
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,808 in Mestre versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Mestre $2,808
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,832 in Mestre versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Mestre $3,832
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Mestre costs roughly 19% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mestre 31% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 €11.79

$16.65 €14.92

-21.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.6

$61.7 €55.3

47.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 €11.15

$11.36 €10.18

9.51%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$2.97 €2.66

-31.31%

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

$2.95 €2.65

$2.29 €2.05

28.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.74 €1.56

-16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 €5.93

$3.40 €3.05

94.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 €4.84

$3.31 €2.97

63.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.16 €1.04

48.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.25

$1.91 €1.71

31.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$1.51 €1.36

113.25%

Eggs

$3.76 €3.37

$4.02 €3.60

-6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 €15.66

$12.94 €11.59

35.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €11.29

$7.77 €6.97

62.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.49 €19.26

$17.76 €15.92

21.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.74

$2.30 €2.06

33.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.73 €1.55

10.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 €3.05

$1.86 €1.66

83.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 €2.80

$2.59 €2.32

20.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.82 €1.63

9.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.97 €1.76

15.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.47 €1.32

12.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.72 €0.65

-15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 €6.19

$6.58 €5.90

4.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 €6.17

$5.61 €5.02

22.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.36 €1.22

13.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.14 €1.91

-19.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.33 €2.09

-27.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.79 €36.55

$44.68 €40.04

-8.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.24

$3.85 €3.45

22.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 €1.26

$1.07 €0.96

30.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.66 €27.48

$16.46 €14.75

86.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.20 €1.97

-8.18%

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

$35.4K €31.7K

$34.2K €30.6K

3.62%

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

$36.9K €33.1K

$38.7K €34.7K

-4.61%

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

$205 €184

$161 €144

27.46%

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

$8.66 €7.76

$18.41 €16.50

-52.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.29 €26.24

$32.74 €29.34

-10.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.25 €43.23

$44.55 €39.92

8.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.01 €17.93

$19.10 €17.11

4.76%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 €9.97

$9.60 €8.60

15.94%

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

$682 €611

$668 €598

2.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,974

$17.6K €15.8K

-36.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.8 €70.7

$102 €91.4

-22.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.06 €30.53

$44.46 €39.85

-23.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$98.5 €88.3

6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €150

$124 €111

35.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$857 €768

$1,608 €1,441

-46.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 €585

$1,190 €1,066

-45.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,308

$2,812 €2,520

-48.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,042

$2,013 €1,804

-42.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,871 €1,677

$7,839 €7,025

-76.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,579 €1,415

$4,576 €4,100

-65.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,909 €1,711

$1,575 €1,411

21.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

3.85

-14.03%

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

Last update for Mestre: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mestre

$653 36.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 82.2% $537

Groceries & Markets

Mestre

$355 19.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 23.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mestre

$243 13.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 12.8% $31

Eating Out

Mestre

$229 12.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 6.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Mestre

$173 9.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 4.2% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mestre

$71 4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 9.6% $6.8

Getting Around

Mestre

$59 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 6.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $857 in Mestre and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mestre pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91 in Mestre vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Mestre

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

1 h behind Mestre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,377

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mestre Lisbon 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mestre
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

Mestre vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,784 in Mestre and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Mestre is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Mestre, 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: $857 in Mestre versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $682 in Mestre versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mestre gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.