Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mortsel: $2,145 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,145 in Mortsel versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Mortsel $2,145
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,187 in Mortsel versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Mortsel $3,187
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,229 in Mortsel versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Mortsel $4,229
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Mortsel costs roughly 3% less than in Lisbon.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mortsel 58% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.32

$16.65 €14.95

35.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 €86.5

$61.7 €55.5

55.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.17

$11.36 €10.20

19.28%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.81

$2.97 €2.67

43.10%

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

$3.47 €3.11

$2.29 €2.06

51.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.58

$1.74 €1.56

64.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.99

$3.40 €3.06

63.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.13

$3.31 €2.97

72.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.22

$1.16 €1.04

16.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 €2.59

$1.91 €1.72

50.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €2.01

$1.51 €1.36

47.68%

Eggs

$3.94 €3.54

$4.02 €3.61

-1.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 €14.83

$12.94 €11.62

27.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 €10.87

$7.77 €6.98

55.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.81 €20.49

$17.76 €15.95

28.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.30 €2.07

21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.73 €1.56

36.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$1.86 €1.67

39.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

$2.59 €2.33

10.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.82 €1.64

19.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.97 €1.77

-6.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.22

$1.47 €1.32

-8.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.72 €0.65

52.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 €11.97

$6.58 €5.91

102.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.64 €7.76

$5.61 €5.04

54.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.36 €1.22

46.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.14 €1.92

7.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.72

$2.33 €2.10

30.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 €50.5

$44.68 €40.14

25.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.89

$3.85 €3.46

41.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.47

$1.07 €0.96

157.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.23 €40.63

$16.46 €14.79

174.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.89

$2.20 €1.98

-4.55%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

$34.2K €30.7K

3.83%

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

$36.4K €32.7K

$38.7K €34.8K

-6.02%

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

$220 €198

$161 €145

36.61%

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

$20.70 €18.59

$18.41 €16.54

12.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.54 €42.70

$32.74 €29.41

45.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.18 €36.99

$44.55 €40.02

-7.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 €18.32

$19.10 €17.16

6.81%

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 €14.20

$9.60 €8.62

64.69%

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

$569 €511

$668 €600

-14.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K €19.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

22.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$102 €91.6

11.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.96

$44.46 €39.94

7.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.7

$98.5 €88.5

8.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €134

$124 €111

20.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €836

$1,608 €1,445

-42.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 €730

$1,190 €1,069

-31.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,239

$2,812 €2,526

-50.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,029

$2,013 €1,808

-43.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,305 €3,867

$7,839 €7,042

-45.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,739 €2,460

$4,576 €4,110

-40.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,361 €2,121

$1,575 €1,415

49.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.85

-9.09%

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

Last update for Mortsel: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mortsel

$813 37.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 46.4% $377

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$359 16.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 24.1% $87

Eating Out

Mortsel

$337 15.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 28% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$288 13.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 26.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$187 8.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 11.5% $22

Getting Around

Mortsel

$88 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 27.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$73 3.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 12.4% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $931 in Mortsel and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mortsel pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $96 in Mortsel vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

1 h behind Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mortsel Lisbon 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mortsel
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

Mortsel vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 50% higher in Mortsel, 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: $931 in Mortsel versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Mortsel 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 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Mortsel 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, Mortsel and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.