Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Monrovia: $1,296 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia
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Monrovia Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Monrovia

🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,296

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,296 in Monrovia versus $2,203 in Lisbon.

Monrovia $1,296
Lisbon $2,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,926 in Monrovia versus $3,237 in Lisbon.

Monrovia $1,926
Lisbon $3,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,556 in Monrovia versus $4,272 in Lisbon.

Monrovia $2,556
Lisbon $4,272

Living in Monrovia costs roughly 41% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monrovia is 3% below, Lisbon is 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.33 LRD 1,248

$17.01 €15.18

-56.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 LRD 1,850

$11.42 €10.19

-4.82%

Cappuccino

$2.96 LRD 505

$3.09 €2.76

-4.21%

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

$2.01 LRD 343

$2.37 €2.11

-15.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 LRD 348

$1.66 €1.48

22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 LRD 667

$3.46 €3.09

13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LRD 501

$3.29 €2.93

-10.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 LRD 363

$1.17 €1.04

82.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 LRD 308

$1.87 €1.66

-3.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 LRD 870

$1.52 €1.36

236.18%

Eggs

$3.53 LRD 602

$3.88 €3.46

-9.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 LRD 1,332

$12.87 €11.49

-39.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 LRD 2,048

$7.94 €7.08

51.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 LRD 2,303

$17.63 €15.73

-23.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 LRD 272

$2.26 €2.01

-29.65%

Banana (1kg)

$8.28 LRD 1,410

$1.76 €1.57

370.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.11 LRD 1,721

$1.88 €1.68

437.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$11.03 LRD 1,878

$2.47 €2.20

346.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 LRD 384

$1.86 €1.66

20.97%

Onion (1kg)

$10.54 LRD 1,795

$2.07 €1.85

409.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.77 LRD 812

$1.39 €1.24

243.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 LRD 350

$0.81 €0.73

154.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 LRD 829

$6.89 €6.15

-29.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 LRD 1,219

$5.53 €4.93

29.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 LRD 413

$1.33 €1.19

82.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 LRD 586

$2.17 €1.93

58.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 LRD 518

$2.24 €2.00

35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.82 LRD 3,374

$45.14 €40.29

-56.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 LRD 350

$4.00 €3.57

-48.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 LRD 324

$1.07 €0.95

78.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.14 LRD 4,280

$16.53 €14.75

52.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 LRD 208

$2.26 €2.02

-46.02%

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

$19.8K LRD 3.4M

$33.5K €29.9K

-40.78%

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

$14.7K LRD 2.5M

$40.5K €36.1K

-63.66%

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

$149 LRD 25.4K

$164 €146

-8.77%

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

$22.06 LRD 3,756

$18.54 €16.55

18.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$184 LRD 31.2K

$33.21 €29.64

452.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.4 LRD 10.6K

$46.01 €41.06

35.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 LRD 1,710

$18.80 €16.78

-46.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 LRD 876

$9.47 €8.45

-45.72%

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

$98.2 LRD 16.7K

$690 €615

-85.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,018 LRD 173.3K

$16.9K €15.0K

-93.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.95 LRD 4,248

$105 €93.4

-76.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.14 LRD 5,472

$45.27 €40.40

-29.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 LRD 9,366

$99.0 €88.3

-44.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 LRD 15.6K

$124 €111

-26.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 LRD 43.1K

$1,583 €1,413

-84.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.0 LRD 16.4K

$1,209 €1,079

-92.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 LRD 110.6K

$2,833 €2,528

-77.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 LRD 45.5K

$1,964 €1,753

-86.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$704 LRD 119.8K

$1,573 €1,403

-55.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

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

Last update for Monrovia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia

$456 35.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.1% 40.4% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia

$355 27.6%

Lisbon

$215 9.6% 39.3% $139

Eating Out

Monrovia

$169 13.1%

Lisbon

$247 11% 46.8% $79

Accommodation & Living

Monrovia

$96 7.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 54% 1159% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia

$92 7.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.5% 83.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia

$73 5.7%

Lisbon

$65 2.9% 10.6% $7.7

Getting Around

Monrovia

$44 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 45.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $253 in Monrovia and $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 124% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇱🇷 Monrovia

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

07:42 7:42 AM

1 h ahead of Monrovia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,970 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Liberian Dollar LRD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LRD = 5.87 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to LRD – Liberian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇷 Liberian Dollar ($)

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 170 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.87 USD). 1 EUR = 191 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to LRD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monrovia Lisbon 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia
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

Monrovia vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monrovia and Lisbon differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($1,296 vs $2,203 including rent). Monrovia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 124% 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: $253 in Monrovia versus $1,583 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 68% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,296 per month in Monrovia versus $2,203 in Lisbon – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,296 in Monrovia versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monrovia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Monrovia 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, Monrovia 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 Monrovia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.