Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Mexico City $1,548
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Mexico City $2,436
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Mexico City $3,323
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 30% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$17.04 €15.15

-35.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$62.3 €55.4

-21.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$11.02 €9.80

-1.09%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.12 €2.78

17.95%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.27 €2.02

-28.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.74 €1.55

-28.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.42 €3.04

-4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.74 €3.33

47.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.17 €1.04

45.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.86 €1.66

62.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.54 €1.37

24.68%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.06 €3.61

-32.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$12.91 €11.49

-8.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$7.90 €7.03

20.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$17.64 €15.69

-18.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.26 €2.01

33.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.75 €1.55

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.89 €1.68

5.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.56 €2.27

-14.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.85 €1.64

3.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.97 €1.75

-5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.45 €1.29

-0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.77 €0.69

64.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$6.71 €5.97

-22.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.67 €5.04

185.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.37 €1.22

38.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.11 €1.88

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.32 €2.07

-85.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$44.43 €39.52

-55.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.95 €3.51

-49.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.05 €0.93

-50.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$17.15 €15.26

-68.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.19 €1.95

-30.59%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$33.8K €30.0K

-34.65%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-35.95%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$164 €146

-62.72%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$18.48 €16.43

54.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$32.96 €29.32

4.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$45.87 €40.80

22.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$18.68 €16.61

33.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$9.75 €8.67

-31.69%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$684 €608

-37.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$17.6K €15.7K

-33.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$104 €92.3

-34.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$46.20 €41.09

12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$99.7 €88.7

6.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$125 €111

-9.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,589 €1,414

-35.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,169 €1,040

-44.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,851 €2,536

-19.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,993 €1,773

-37.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$7,793 €6,932

-53.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$4,418 €3,930

-56.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,600 €1,423

-39.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.85

193.51%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 78.7% $515

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 14.2% $45

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 21.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 10.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 73.4% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Lisbon

$65 3% 6.2% $4.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 146% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 66% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

14:45 2:45 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Lisbon 8,670 km ≈ 11 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

Mexico City vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Lisbon differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,202 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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, Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.