Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monte Carlo and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $8,149 in Monte Carlo, rent and utilities included – about $71,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

398

Cost of Living Index in Monte Carlo
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Monte Carlo Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Monte Carlo

🇲🇨 Monaco

$8,149

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $8,149 in Monte Carlo versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Monte Carlo $8,149
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $12.8K in Monte Carlo versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Monte Carlo $12.8K
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $17.4K in Monte Carlo versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Monte Carlo $17.4K
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Monte Carlo is roughly 267% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monte Carlo 504% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$42.14 €37.49

$16.50 €14.67

155.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 €111

$61.3 €54.5

102.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.11

$11.27 €10.03

0.89%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.64

$3.06 €2.72

33.99%

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

$9.12 €8.11

$2.26 €2.01

303.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.69 €9.51

$1.73 €1.54

517.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.07 €8.96

$3.39 €3.02

197.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$3.40 €3.02

299.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.12 €1.00

104.46%

White Bread (500g)

$5.11 €4.55

$1.86 €1.65

174.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 €3.91

$1.53 €1.36

186.93%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.09

$3.96 €3.53

16.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.62 €19.23

$12.76 €11.35

69.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.00 €15.13

$7.90 €7.02

115.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.75 €20.23

$16.97 €15.09

34.06%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 €5.39

$2.27 €2.02

166.96%

Banana (1kg)

$7.42 €6.60

$1.75 €1.55

324.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 €4.31

$1.85 €1.64

161.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.59 €7.64

$2.57 €2.28

234.24%

Potato (1kg)

$5.65 €5.02

$1.86 €1.65

203.76%

Onion (1kg)

$5.48 €4.87

$2.02 €1.80

171.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.14 €4.57

$1.44 €1.28

256.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.34

$0.82 €0.73

631.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.06 €10.72

$6.56 €5.83

83.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 €15.00

$5.62 €5.00

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.28 €1.14

57.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 €3.86

$2.07 €1.84

109.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.35 €2.09

-14.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.45 €33.31

$44.18 €39.30

-15.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 €4.82

$3.99 €3.55

35.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.09 €0.97

109.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$112 €99.7

$16.64 €14.81

573.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.28 €2.03

3.95%

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

$53.4K €47.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

58.53%

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

$42.7K €38.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

8.77%

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

$526 €467

$167 €149

213.78%

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

$58.1 €51.7

$18.80 €16.72

208.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$96.8 €86.1

$33.09 €29.43

192.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$534 €475

$46.01 €40.93

1060.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.6 €50.3

$19.19 €17.07

194.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.61 €15.67

$9.84 €8.75

78.96%

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

$3,552 €3,160

$677 €602

424.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €14.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

-1.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$225 €200

$101 €90.1

122.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.0 €68.5

$45.76 €40.70

68.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$197 €175

$100.0 €88.9

96.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$278 €248

$123 €109

126.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,501

$1,614 €1,436

74.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,272 €4,689

$1,197 €1,065

340.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$2,862 €2,545

297.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$1,990 €1,770

466.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$107.8K €95.9K

$7,577 €6,740

1322.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$85.3K €75.8K

$4,307 €3,831

1879.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,669 €7,711

$1,588 €1,412

445.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-48.05%

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

Last update for Monte Carlo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monte Carlo

$5.3K 64.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 77.3% $4.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monte Carlo

$680 8.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 67.8% $461

Groceries & Markets

Monte Carlo

$638 7.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 57.8% $369

Eating Out

Monte Carlo

$577 7.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 58% $335

Sport & Entertainment

Monte Carlo

$569 7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 88.5% $504

Clothing & Footwear

Monte Carlo

$350 4.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 52.4% $183

Getting Around

Monte Carlo

$62 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 1.2% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,812 in Monte Carlo and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monte Carlo pays 446% 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: $124 in Monte Carlo vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $638 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇨 Monte Carlo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

08:57 8:57 AM

1 h behind Monte Carlo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,507

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Monte Carlo Lisbon 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monte Carlo
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

Monte Carlo vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monte Carlo and Lisbon differ by about 267% in total monthly costs ($8,149 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 446% higher in Monte Carlo, 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: $2,812 in Monte Carlo versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,552 in Monte Carlo 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 137% higher in Monte Carlo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $8,149 in Monte Carlo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Monte Carlo. 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, Monte Carlo 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 267% less than in Monte Carlo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.