Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mindelo and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mindelo: $387 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mindelo

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$387

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $387 in Mindelo versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Mindelo $387
Lisbon $2,223

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

Mindelo $895
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,403 in Mindelo versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Mindelo $1,403
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Mindelo costs roughly 83% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mindelo is 71% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 CVE 888

$16.50 €14.67

-45.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 CVE 5,551

$61.3 €54.5

-7.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

Cappuccino

$1.09 CVE 107

$3.06 €2.72

-64.38%

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

$1.30 CVE 127

$2.26 €2.01

-42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 CVE 96.3

$1.73 €1.54

-43.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 CVE 267

$3.39 €3.02

-19.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CVE 147

$3.40 €3.02

-55.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 CVE 147

$1.12 €1.00

33.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 CVE 106

$1.86 €1.65

-41.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 CVE 78.4

$1.53 €1.36

-47.71%

Eggs

$2.55 CVE 250

$3.96 €3.53

-35.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.87 CVE 1,557

$12.76 €11.35

24.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.47 CVE 1,713

$16.97 €15.09

2.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 CVE 209

$2.27 €2.02

-6.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 CVE 186

$1.75 €1.55

8.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CVE 275

$1.85 €1.64

51.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 CVE 295

$2.57 €2.28

16.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 CVE 81.7

$1.86 €1.65

-55.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 CVE 160

$2.02 €1.80

-19.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 CVE 97.0

$1.44 €1.28

-31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 CVE 70.7

$0.82 €0.73

-12.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 CVE 502

$6.56 €5.83

-21.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 CVE 787

$5.62 €5.00

42.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 CVE 185

$1.28 €1.14

47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 CVE 195

$2.07 €1.84

-3.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 CVE 43.22

$2.35 €2.09

-81.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.81 CVE 2,923

$44.18 €39.30

-32.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 CVE 150

$3.99 €3.55

-61.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CVE 145

$1.09 €0.97

35.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 CVE 980

$16.64 €14.81

-39.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 CVE 162

$2.28 €2.03

-27.63%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

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

$39.3K €35.0K

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

$167 €149

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

$18.80 €16.72

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.96 CVE 290

$19.19 €17.07

-84.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 CVE 35.0K

$2,862 €2,545

-87.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 CVE 24.6K

$1,990 €1,770

-87.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Mindelo: 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

Mindelo

–

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Groceries & Markets

Mindelo

–

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Eating Out

Mindelo

–

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mindelo

–

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Mindelo

–

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Mindelo

–

Lisbon

$66 3%

Getting Around

Mindelo

–

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $57.0 in Mindelo vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $269 per month, with Mindelo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Mindelo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

2 h ahead of Mindelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 98.05 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mindelo Lisbon 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Mindelo
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

Mindelo vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mindelo and Lisbon differ by about 474% in total monthly costs ($387 vs $2,223 including rent). Mindelo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $581 in Mindelo and $3,335 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $387 per month in Mindelo versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 474% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $387 in Mindelo versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mindelo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mindelo 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, Mindelo 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 Mindelo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 474% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.