Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rabat and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabat: $857 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$857

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Rabat versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Rabat $857
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,484 in Rabat versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Rabat $1,484
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,111 in Rabat versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Rabat $2,111
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Rabat costs roughly 61% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rabat is 36% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 MAD 39.57

$16.50 €14.67

-75.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.05 MAD 400

$61.3 €54.5

-32.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 MAD 70.8

$11.27 €10.02

-35.49%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MAD 18.73

$3.06 €2.72

-37.25%

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

$0.54 MAD 5.26

$2.26 €2.01

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MAD 3.58

$1.73 €1.54

-78.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.20 MAD 50.7

$3.39 €3.02

53.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MAD 31.72

$3.40 €3.02

-4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 MAD 8.23

$1.12 €1.00

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 MAD 6.38

$1.86 €1.65

-65.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 MAD 18.65

$1.53 €1.36

24.84%

Eggs

$1.88 MAD 18.35

$3.96 €3.53

-52.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 MAD 111

$12.76 €11.35

-11.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 MAD 64.5

$7.90 €7.02

-16.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 MAD 118

$16.97 €15.09

-28.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 MAD 15.98

$2.27 €2.02

-27.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MAD 14.26

$1.75 €1.55

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 MAD 8.28

$1.85 €1.64

-54.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 MAD 8.20

$2.57 €2.28

-67.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MAD 6.94

$1.86 €1.65

-61.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MAD 7.64

$2.02 €1.80

-61.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 MAD 3.66

$1.44 €1.28

-73.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MAD 5.90

$0.82 €0.73

-25.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 MAD 41.29

$6.56 €5.83

-35.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 MAD 75.4

$5.62 €5.00

37.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 MAD 26.36

$1.28 €1.14

110.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MAD 26.52

$2.07 €1.84

31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MAD 5.41

$2.35 €2.09

-76.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.09 MAD 254

$44.18 €39.29

-40.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 MAD 6.92

$3.99 €3.55

-82.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 MAD 7.62

$1.09 €0.97

-28.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 MAD 39.83

$16.64 €14.80

-75.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 MAD 15.41

$2.28 €2.03

-30.70%

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

$31.1K MAD 303.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

-7.58%

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

$31.1K MAD 303.7K

$39.3K €34.9K

-20.72%

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

$36.64 MAD 357

$167 €149

-78.12%

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

$10.41 MAD 101

$18.80 €16.72

-44.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.79 MAD 329

$33.09 €29.43

2.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 MAD 282

$46.01 €40.92

-37.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.25 MAD 236

$19.19 €17.07

26.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 MAD 61.3

$9.84 €8.75

-36.18%

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

$182 MAD 1,775

$677 €602

-73.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,632 MAD 93.9K

$16.9K €15.0K

-43.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.69 MAD 475

$101 €90.0

-51.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 MAD 403

$45.76 €40.70

-9.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 MAD 898

$100.0 €88.9

-7.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 MAD 639

$123 €109

-46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 MAD 5,037

$1,614 €1,435

-67.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 MAD 2,653

$1,197 €1,065

-77.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 MAD 9,766

$2,862 €2,545

-65.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MAD 6,924

$1,990 €1,770

-64.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,960 MAD 19.1K

$7,577 €6,739

-74.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,169 MAD 11.4K

$4,307 €3,831

-72.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 MAD 6,913

$1,588 €1,412

-55.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

3.85

18.18%

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

Last update for Rabat: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rabat

$272 31.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 340% $925

Groceries & Markets

Rabat

$205 23.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 31.3% $64

Eating Out

Rabat

$113 13.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 114% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Rabat

$111 13%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 49.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rabat

$81 9.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 171% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Rabat

$42 4.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 58.3% $24

Getting Around

Rabat

$33 3.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 91.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Rabat and $1,614 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.

Dining out: $41.00 in Rabat vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $269 per month, with Rabat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Rabat

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

Same time as Rabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

573,895 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rabat Lisbon 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rabat
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

Rabat vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rabat and Lisbon differ by about 159% in total monthly costs ($857 vs $2,223 including rent). Rabat 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: $517 in Rabat versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Rabat 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 31% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $857 in Rabat versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rabat but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rabat 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, Rabat 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 Rabat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 159% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.