City comparison
Cost of living in Mexico City vs Lisbon
One person needs about €1,284 a month in Mexico City and €1,874 in Lisbon, rent included — Mexico City is 46% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Lisbon the way you live in Mexico City on €3,000, you need
€4,379/ month net
46% more than today (+€1,379)
- Mexico City today
- Basket €1,284 · left over €1,716 (57%)
- Lisbon at the matched salary
- Basket €1,874 · left over €2,505 (57%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 128% over in Lisbon (tight) vs 148% in Mexico City. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇲🇽 Mexico City
Great food, US time zones, and rents rising quickly in Roma and Condesa.
Monthly budget: €1,284
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇵🇹 Lisbon
Visa-friendly and well connected, but local salaries lag far behind expat-driven rents.
Monthly budget: €1,874
Sources: Statistics Portugal (INE) + Eurostat, HICP & house-rent statistics (2025) · 331 community reports
Should you move to Mexico City or Lisbon?
On salary, Lisbon pays more for tech roles (€2,400 versus €1,900 a month), so the money left over after costs is €616 in Mexico City at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €850 in Mexico City against €1,300 in Lisbon. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Mexico City at 78 and Lisbon at 83 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.