Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surinam and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $624 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
Learn more

Surinam Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$624

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $624 in Surinam versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Surinam $624
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Surinam versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Surinam $1,046
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,469 in Surinam versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Surinam $1,469
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Surinam costs roughly 72% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surinam is 54% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.90 MUR 280

$16.65 €14.95

-64.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.29 MUR 1,816

$61.7 €55.5

-37.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 MUR 354

$11.36 €10.20

-34.15%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MUR 124

$2.97 €2.67

-12.12%

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

$1.13 MUR 53.7

$2.29 €2.06

-50.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MUR 32.23

$1.74 €1.56

-60.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MUR 122

$3.40 €3.06

-24.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 MUR 221

$3.31 €2.97

40.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MUR 75.7

$1.16 €1.04

37.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MUR 35.16

$1.91 €1.72

-61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MUR 55.0

$1.51 €1.36

-23.18%

Eggs

$2.55 MUR 121

$4.02 €3.61

-36.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 MUR 247

$12.94 €11.62

-59.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 MUR 307

$7.77 €6.98

-16.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 MUR 529

$17.76 €15.95

-37.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 MUR 132

$2.30 €2.07

21.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 MUR 129

$1.73 €1.56

56.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MUR 68.6

$1.86 €1.67

-22.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 MUR 140

$2.59 €2.33

13.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 MUR 44.46

$1.82 €1.64

-48.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 MUR 48.10

$1.97 €1.77

-48.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 MUR 35.39

$1.47 €1.32

-48.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MUR 40.02

$0.72 €0.65

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 MUR 299

$6.58 €5.91

-4.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.62 MUR 409

$5.61 €5.04

53.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 MUR 78.0

$1.36 €1.22

21.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 MUR 112

$2.14 €1.92

10.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 MUR 202

$3.85 €3.46

10.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.16 MUR 150

$1.07 €0.96

195.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.84 MUR 988

$16.46 €14.79

26.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MUR 67.1

$2.20 €1.98

-35.45%

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

$37.1K MUR 1.8M

$34.2K €30.7K

8.39%

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

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

$38.7K €34.8K

-18.68%

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

$44.96 MUR 2,132

$161 €145

-72.11%

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

$10.55 MUR 500

$18.41 €16.54

-42.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.52 MUR 1,399

$32.74 €29.41

-9.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 MUR 308

$9.60 €8.62

-32.40%

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

$128 MUR 6,091

$668 €600

-80.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,668 MUR 363.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

-56.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 MUR 3,616

$102 €91.6

-25.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.5 MUR 3,486

$44.46 €39.94

65.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 MUR 5,744

$98.5 €88.5

22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 MUR 3,693

$124 €111

-37.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.85

73.25%

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

Last update for Surinam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surinam

$219 35%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 24.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Surinam

$157 25.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5.7% $8.9

Eating Out

Surinam

$130 20.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 86% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surinam

$85 13.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 150% $127

Getting Around

Surinam

$20 * 3.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 215% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Surinam

$13 * 2.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 391% $51

Accommodation & Living

Surinam

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Surinam vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $219 vs $272 per month, with Surinam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Surinam

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

22:05 10:05 PM

4 h behind Surinam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,500

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.11 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 47.41 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 52.78 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surinam Lisbon 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Surinam
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

Surinam vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $624 in Surinam and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Surinam is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $936 in Surinam and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $624 per month in Surinam versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Surinam is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $624 in Surinam versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Surinam but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Surinam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Surinam delivers better value at $624 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Surinam hard to pass up.

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