Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,560 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,560

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Milan versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Milan $2,560
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,895 in Milan versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Milan $3,895
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Milan versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Milan $5,230
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Milan is roughly 15% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 90% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.52 €20.03

$16.50 €14.67

36.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$61.3 €54.5

45.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.16 €11.71

$11.27 €10.03

16.77%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$3.06 €2.72

-30.39%

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

$3.67 €3.26

$2.26 €2.01

62.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.73 €1.54

5.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.92

$3.39 €3.02

96.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.91

$3.40 €3.02

95.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.12 €1.00

51.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.86 €1.65

69.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$1.53 €1.36

131.37%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$3.96 €3.53

23.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$12.76 €11.35

79.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 €13.09

$7.90 €7.02

86.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.77 €20.25

$16.97 €15.09

34.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.27 €2.02

37.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.75 €1.55

36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.85 €1.64

83.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.57 €2.28

66.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.86 €1.65

27.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.02 €1.80

0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.44 €1.28

21.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.82 €0.73

-30.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 €6.64

$6.56 €5.83

13.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.58 €8.52

$5.62 €5.00

70.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.28 €1.14

57.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.07 €1.84

18.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.35 €2.09

1.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$44.18 €39.30

-2.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 €6.82

$3.99 €3.55

92.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.09 €0.97

107.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.2 €58.0

$16.64 €14.81

291.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.28 €2.03

-3.51%

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

$36.5K €32.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

8.25%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-9.81%

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

$247 €220

$167 €149

47.40%

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

$10.21 €9.08

$18.80 €16.72

-45.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 €25.94

$33.09 €29.43

-11.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 €73.3

$46.01 €40.93

79.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.18 €30.41

$19.19 €17.07

78.11%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 €10.77

$9.84 €8.75

23.07%

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

$857 €762

$677 €602

26.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.5K

$16.9K €15.1K

9.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.2

$101 €90.1

0.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 €45.21

$45.76 €40.70

11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$100.0 €88.9

16.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$123 €109

36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 €1,540

$1,614 €1,436

7.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,197 €1,065

-2.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 €3,026

$2,862 €2,545

18.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 €1,811

$1,990 €1,770

2.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K €9,376

$7,577 €6,740

39.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,240 €4,661

$4,307 €3,831

21.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$1,588 €1,412

35.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.85

-17.40%

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

Last update for Milan: 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

Milan

$1.2K 45.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 2.4% $28

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$417 16.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 35.4% $147

Eating Out

Milan

$314 12.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 22.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$286 11.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 23.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$196 7.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 15.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$107 4.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 38.4% $41

Getting Around

Milan

$72 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 12.2% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,731 in Milan and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 35% 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: $89.0 in Milan vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

03:45 3:45 AM

1 h behind Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

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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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Milan
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

Milan vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Milan and Lisbon differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,560 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 35% higher in Milan, 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: $1,731 in Milan versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $857 in Milan versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,560 in Milan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Milan. 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, Milan 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 15% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.