Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpellier and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Montpellier: $1,945 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,945

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,945 in Montpellier versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Montpellier $1,945
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Montpellier versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Montpellier $2,919
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,892 in Montpellier versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Montpellier $3,892
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Montpellier costs roughly 13% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montpellier 44% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.68

$16.50 €14.67

0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €63.8

$61.3 €54.5

17.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.16

$11.27 €10.02

41.26%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.23

$3.06 €2.72

18.95%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$2.26 €2.01

32.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.73 €1.54

17.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.11

$3.39 €3.02

69.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$3.40 €3.02

30.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.12 €1.00

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.86 €1.65

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.53 €1.36

72.55%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$3.96 €3.53

-5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.65 €16.59

$12.76 €11.35

46.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 €12.30

$7.90 €7.02

75.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.28 €21.59

$16.97 €15.09

43.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 €2.62

$2.27 €2.02

29.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.75 €1.55

37.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.85 €1.64

58.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.57 €2.28

49.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.86 €1.65

25.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.02 €1.80

46.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.44 €1.28

20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.82 €0.73

-23.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.16

$6.56 €5.83

108.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.47 €6.64

$5.62 €5.00

32.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.81 €3.38

$1.28 €1.14

197.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.07 €1.84

33.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.35 €2.09

-15.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.07 €0.96

$44.18 €39.29

-97.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 €4.42

$3.99 €3.55

24.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.09 €0.97

55.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.84 €29.21

$16.64 €14.80

97.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.28 €2.03

-7.02%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

1.20%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$39.3K €34.9K

-10.26%

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

$224 €200

$167 €149

33.96%

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

$16.56 €14.73

$18.80 €16.72

-11.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 €28.98

$33.09 €29.43

-1.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.70 €29.98

$46.01 €40.92

-26.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.18 €12.61

$19.19 €17.07

-26.11%

Cinema Ticket

$13.68 €12.16

$9.84 €8.75

39.02%

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

$735 €654

$677 €602

8.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.5K

$16.9K €15.0K

-23.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 €78.7

$101 €90.0

-12.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 €58.2

$45.76 €40.70

43.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.2

$100.0 €88.9

2.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €158

$123 €109

44.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 €798

$1,614 €1,435

-44.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$1,197 €1,065

-39.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 €1,316

$2,862 €2,545

-48.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 €1,029

$1,990 €1,770

-41.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,927 €4,382

$7,577 €6,739

-34.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,636 €3,234

$4,307 €3,831

-15.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,738 €2,435

$1,588 €1,412

72.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

3.85

-1.04%

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

Last update for Montpellier: 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

Montpellier

$725 37.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 65% $472

Groceries & Markets

Montpellier

$386 19.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 30.2% $117

Eating Out

Montpellier

$281 14.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 13.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpellier

$274 14.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 19.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Montpellier

$196 10.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 14.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Montpellier

$61 3.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 7.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Montpellier

$23 1.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 180% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $897 in Montpellier and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montpellier pays 72% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $72.0 in Montpellier vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

12:49 12:49 PM

1 h behind Montpellier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,454

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Montpellier Lisbon 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Montpellier
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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

Montpellier vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montpellier and Lisbon differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,945 vs $2,223 including rent). Montpellier is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 72% higher in Montpellier, 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: $897 in Montpellier versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $735 in Montpellier versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 43% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,945 in Montpellier versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montpellier but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Montpellier 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, Montpellier 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 Montpellier gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.