Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monastir and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Monastir: $706 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monastir, Tunisia
Lisbon, Portugal
Monastir
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$706
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $706 in Monastir versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Monastir $706
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,131 in Monastir versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Monastir $1,131
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,555 in Monastir versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Monastir $1,555
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Monastir costs roughly 68% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monastir is 48% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.01 TND 15.08
$16.65 €14.96
-69.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.48 TND 67.7
$61.7 €55.5
-63.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 TND 18.51
$11.36 €10.20
-45.86%
Cappuccino
$1.19 TND 3.59
$2.97 €2.67
-59.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 TND 2.23
$2.29 €2.06
-67.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 TND 1.09
$1.74 €1.56
-79.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.63 TND 4.92
$3.40 €3.06
-52.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 TND 4.91
$3.31 €2.97
-50.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.44 TND 1.32
$1.16 €1.04
-62.07%
White Bread (500g)
$0.17 TND 0.51
$1.91 €1.72
-91.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 TND 5.05
$1.51 €1.36
11.26%
Eggs
$1.58 TND 4.75
$4.02 €3.61
-60.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.71 TND 41.29
$12.94 €11.62
5.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.15 TND 18.52
$7.77 €6.99
-20.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.60 TND 43.97
$17.76 €15.96
-17.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 TND 6.07
$2.30 €2.07
-12.61%
Banana (1kg)
$4.40 TND 13.25
$1.73 €1.56
154.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.20 TND 3.60
$1.86 €1.67
-35.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.80 TND 2.40
$2.59 €2.33
-69.11%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 TND 2.63
$1.82 €1.64
-52.20%
Onion (1kg)
$0.72 TND 2.17
$1.97 €1.77
-63.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 TND 1.33
$1.47 €1.32
-70.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 TND 1.01
$0.72 €0.65
-54.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.74 TND 11.27
$6.58 €5.92
-43.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 TND 17.18
$5.61 €5.04
1.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 TND 3.65
$1.36 €1.22
-11.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 TND 3.97
$2.14 €1.92
-38.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.32 TND 0.95
$2.33 €2.10
-86.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.01 TND 33.17
$44.68 €40.14
-75.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.29 TND 0.87
$3.85 €3.46
-92.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 TND 0.86
$1.07 €0.96
-72.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.77 TND 5.34
$16.46 €14.79
-89.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 TND 2.49
$2.20 €1.98
-62.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.7K TND 119.6K
$34.2K €30.7K
16.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.9K TND 108.3K
$38.7K €34.8K
-7.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.5 TND 185
$161 €145
-61.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.56 TND 31.82
$18.41 €16.54
-42.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.06 TND 60.4
$32.74 €29.41
-38.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.67 TND 71.3
$44.55 €40.03
-46.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.63 TND 19.97
$19.10 €17.16
-65.29%
Cinema Ticket
$6.03 TND 18.17
$9.60 €8.62
-37.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$94.4 TND 284
$668 €600
-85.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,205 TND 9,656
$17.6K €15.8K
-81.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.92 TND 141
$102 €91.7
-54.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$67.5 TND 203
$44.46 €39.95
51.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 TND 335
$98.5 €88.5
12.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.2 TND 293
$124 €111
-21.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$203 TND 610
$1,608 €1,445
-87.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$121 TND 363
$1,190 €1,069
-89.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$354 TND 1,067
$2,812 €2,527
-87.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$233 TND 703
$2,013 €1,809
-88.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,219 TND 3,671
$7,839 €7,043
-84.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$619 TND 1,864
$4,576 €4,111
-86.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monastir
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$347 TND 1,044
$1,575 €1,415
-77.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
3.85
185.71%

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

Last update for Monastir: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Monastir
$210
Lisbon
$272 29.8% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Monastir
$145
Lisbon
$166 14.2% $21
Accommodation & Living
Monastir
$121
Lisbon
$1.2K 887% $1.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monastir
$92
Lisbon
$212 130% $120
Eating Out
Monastir
$89
Lisbon
$243 174% $154
Sport & Entertainment
Monastir
$36
Lisbon
$64 78.3% $28
Getting Around
Monastir
$14
Lisbon
$63 352% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $203 in Monastir and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Monastir vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $272 per month, with Monastir cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Monastir
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
12:56 12:56 PM
11:56 11:56 AM
1 h behind Monastir
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
104,535
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monastir Lisbon 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Monastir
  • 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
Monastir vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Monastir and in Lisbon?
Monastir and Lisbon differ by about 213% in total monthly costs ($706 vs $2,210 including rent). Monastir is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Monastir. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Monastir and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $203 in Monastir versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Monastir and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $94 in Monastir versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $706 in Monastir versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monastir but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Monastir the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Monastir and Lisbon?
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.
Is Monastir or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Monastir 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.
Where should expats move: Monastir or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Monastir gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Monastir vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?