Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mons and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mons: $1,885 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mons
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Mons Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mons

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,885

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,885 in Mons versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Mons $1,885
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,806 in Mons versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Mons $2,806
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,727 in Mons versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Mons $3,727
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Mons costs roughly 15% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mons 39% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.99

$16.65 €14.92

0.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 €73.0

$61.7 €55.3

31.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 €9.12

$11.36 €10.18

-10.48%

Cappuccino

$2.41 €2.16

$2.97 €2.66

-18.86%

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

$2.76 €2.47

$2.29 €2.05

20.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.74 €1.56

-2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 €3.40

$3.40 €3.05

11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 €3.78

$3.31 €2.97

27.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.91 €1.71

18.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.51 €1.36

45.70%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.62

$4.02 €3.60

0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.56 €16.63

$12.94 €11.59

43.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.30 €11.02

$7.77 €6.97

58.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.58 €17.54

$17.76 €15.92

10.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.49

$2.30 €2.06

20.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.73 €1.55

42.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.86 €1.66

36.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.64

$2.59 €2.32

13.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.82 €1.63

19.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.97 €1.76

-39.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.47 €1.32

-6.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.72 €0.65

47.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 €8.92

$6.58 €5.90

51.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 €4.93

$5.61 €5.02

-1.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.36 €1.22

38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.14 €1.91

-10.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.72

$2.33 €2.09

30.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.33

$44.68 €40.04

23.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.24 €10.07

$3.85 €3.45

191.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.07 €0.96

179.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.7 €46.35

$16.46 €14.75

214.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.20 €1.97

-17.27%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$34.2K €30.6K

4.39%

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

$36.6K €32.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

-5.57%

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

$224 €201

$161 €144

39.13%

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

$21.11 €18.91

$18.41 €16.50

14.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.18 €42.28

$32.74 €29.34

44.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.73 €23.96

$44.55 €39.92

-40.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.86 €15.10

$19.10 €17.11

-11.73%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 €10.96

$9.60 €8.60

27.50%

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

$556 €498

$668 €598

-16.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K €19.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

21.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €96.0

$102 €91.4

5.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.16 €41.37

$44.46 €39.85

3.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.8

$98.5 €88.3

10.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €130

$124 €111

16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 €612

$1,608 €1,441

-57.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 €615

$1,190 €1,066

-42.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 €949

$2,812 €2,520

-62.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 €894

$2,013 €1,804

-50.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,164 €3,731

$7,839 €7,025

-46.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,879 €2,580

$4,576 €4,100

-37.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,819 €2,526

$1,575 €1,411

78.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

3.85

-16.88%

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

Last update for Mons: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mons

$686 36.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 73.4% $504

Groceries & Markets

Mons

$340 18%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 19.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mons

$293 15.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 27.4% $80

Eating Out

Mons

$238 12.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 1.7% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Mons

$183 9.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 9.4% $17

Getting Around

Mons

$93 5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 32.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Mons

$51 2.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 24.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Mons and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mons pays 79% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81 in Mons vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mons

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

1 h behind Mons

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,721

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

Mons Lisbon 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mons
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

Mons vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,885 in Mons and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Mons is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Mons, 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: $683 in Mons versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Mons versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Mons gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Mons and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.