Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toluca and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toluca
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,098
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,098 in Toluca versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Toluca $1,098
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,844 in Toluca versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Toluca $1,844
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,589 in Toluca versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Toluca $2,589
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Toluca costs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toluca is 19% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.03 MX$204
$17.04 €15.15
-35.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.85 MX$792
$62.3 €55.4
-31.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.09 MX$168
$11.02 €9.80
-17.51%
Cappuccino
$3.14 MX$58.0
$3.12 €2.78
0.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.24
$2.27 €2.02
-44.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 MX$13.97
$1.74 €1.55
-56.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$3.42 €3.04
-37.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 MX$60.8
$3.74 €3.33
-12.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 MX$32.71
$1.17 €1.04
51.28%
White Bread (500g)
$3.12 MX$57.7
$1.86 €1.66
67.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 MX$40.28
$1.54 €1.37
41.56%
Eggs
$3.05 MX$56.3
$4.06 €3.61
-24.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.94 MX$147
$12.91 €11.49
-38.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.36 MX$155
$7.90 €7.03
5.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.91 MX$165
$17.64 €15.69
-49.49%
Apples (1kg)
$4.08 MX$75.3
$2.26 €2.01
80.53%
Banana (1kg)
$2.11 MX$39.00
$1.75 €1.55
20.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.07
$1.89 €1.68
17.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.28 MX$42.16
$2.56 €2.27
-10.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.82 MX$52.2
$1.85 €1.64
52.43%
Onion (1kg)
$2.30 MX$42.58
$1.97 €1.75
16.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.64 MX$30.26
$1.45 €1.29
13.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.07
$0.77 €0.69
33.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.87 MX$90.0
$6.71 €5.97
-27.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.25 MX$226
$5.67 €5.04
116.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 MX$36.76
$1.37 €1.22
45.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 MX$67.5
$2.11 €1.88
72.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 MX$13.92
$2.32 €2.07
-67.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.20 MX$59.0
$3.95 €3.51
-18.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.01 MX$37.22
$1.05 €0.93
91.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.17 MX$188
$17.15 €15.26
-40.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.66
$2.19 €1.95
-34.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K MX$454.6K
$33.8K €30.0K
-27.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$433.9K
$38.3K €34.0K
-38.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.1 MX$1,074
$164 €146
-64.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.04 MX$463
$18.48 €16.43
35.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.71 MX$586
$32.96 €29.32
-3.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.08 MX$889
$45.87 €40.80
4.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.66 MX$419
$18.68 €16.61
21.31%
Cinema Ticket
$6.95 MX$128
$9.75 €8.67
-28.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$224 MX$4,131
$684 €608
-67.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,244 MX$96.9K
$17.6K €15.7K
-70.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 MX$1,233
$104 €92.3
-35.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 MX$992
$46.20 €41.09
16.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,920
$99.7 €88.7
4.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 MX$1,923
$125 €111
-16.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$705 MX$13.0K
$1,589 €1,414
-55.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$289 MX$5,345
$1,169 €1,040
-75.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$972 MX$18.0K
$2,851 €2,536
-65.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 MX$13.0K
$1,993 €1,773
-64.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,296 MX$24.0K
$7,793 €6,932
-83.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$915 MX$16.9K
$4,418 €3,930
-79.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toluca
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,273 MX$23.5K
$1,600 €1,423
-20.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.07
3.85
187.53%

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

Last update for Toluca: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Toluca
$289
Lisbon
$273 5.6% $16
Accommodation & Living
Toluca
$289
Lisbon
$1.2K 304% $880
Eating Out
Toluca
$178
Lisbon
$247 38.6% $69
Clothing & Footwear
Toluca
$148
Lisbon
$168 14% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toluca
$115
Lisbon
$215 87.4% $100
Sport & Entertainment
Toluca
$62
Lisbon
$65 5.5% $3.4
Getting Around
Toluca
$16 *
Lisbon
$63 287% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Toluca and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 26% 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: $43.00 in Toluca vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Toluca
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
08:53 8:53 AM
15:53 3:53 PM
7 h ahead of Toluca
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
223,876
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toluca Lisbon 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toluca
  • 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
Toluca vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Toluca and in Lisbon?
Toluca and Lisbon differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,098 vs $2,202 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 26% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Toluca and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $705 in Toluca versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Toluca or Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $1,098 per month in Toluca versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,098 in Toluca versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toluca but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Toluca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Toluca and Lisbon?
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.
Is Toluca or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Toluca 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.
Where should expats move: Toluca or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Toluca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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