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Lisbon vs Madeira cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ต๐น Lisbon
๐ต๐น Madeira
At a glance
- Where Madeira is clearly cheaper: Cocktail & wine (50%โ), Scooter rental (37%โ), Studio rent (month) (31%โ)
- Where Lisbon is clearly cheaper: Street food (20%โ), Taxi (18%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (17%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: getting around โ Lisbon 2 vs Madeira 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Lisbon | Madeira | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฌ 12$14 | โฌ 11$12.8 | Madeira โ8% |
| Street food1 item | โฌ 4$4.65 | โฌ 5$5.81 | Lisbon โ20% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฌ 30$34.9 | โฌ 22$25.6 | Madeira โ27% |
| Coffeeone cup | โฌ 2$2.33 | โฌ 1.6$1.86 | Madeira โ20% |
| Beerone bottle | โฌ 2.5$2.91 | โฌ 2.5$2.91 | similar |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฌ 9$10.5 | โฌ 4.5$5.23 | Madeira โ50% |
| Bottled water | โฌ 0.8$0.93 | โฌ 0.8$0.93 | similar |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฌ 1.5$1.74 | โฌ 1.5$1.74 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฌ 7$8.14 | โฌ 8.5$9.88 | Lisbon โ18% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฌ 5$5.81 | โฌ 6$6.98 | Lisbon โ17% |
| Transitone ride | โฌ 1.9$2.21 | โฌ 1.95$2.27 | similar |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฌ 40$46.5 | โฌ 25$29.1 | Madeira โ37% |
| Hotel night3-star | โฌ 140$163 | โฌ 100$116 | Madeira โ29% |
| Studio rent (month) | โฌ 1,300$1,512 | โฌ 900$1,047 | Madeira โ31% |
| Laundry | โฌ 2.5$2.91 | โฌ 3$3.49 | Lisbon โ17% |
| SIM card1 week data | โฌ 15$17.4 | โฌ 15$17.4 | similar |
| Haircutcut | โฌ 15$17.4 | โฌ 12$14 | Madeira โ20% |
| Massage1 hour | โฌ 50$58.1 | โฌ 50$58.1 | similar |
| Half-day tourper person | โฌ 40$46.5 | โฌ 35$40.7 | Madeira โ12% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฌ 15$17.4 | โฌ 12$14 | Madeira โ20% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Lisbon or Madeira?
Madeira is 18% cheaper than Lisbon. Daily budget $272 vs $213; a month $5,020 vs $4,261.
Which is easier to travel, Lisbon or Madeira?
About the same: Lisbon 2.0/5, Madeira 2.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Lisbon and Madeira?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Lisbon is about $5,020 and Madeira about $4,261 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.