Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Montreal is easier to travel (1.6 vs 2.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Lisbon 2 vs Montreal 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Lisbon | Montreal | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฌ 12$14 | C$ 22$16.2 | Lisbon โ14% |
| Street food1 item | โฌ 4$4.65 | C$ 12$8.82 | Lisbon โ47% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฌ 30$34.9 | C$ 45$33.1 | Montreal โ5% |
| Coffeeone cup | โฌ 2$2.33 | C$ 5.5$4.04 | Lisbon โ42% |
| Beerone bottle | โฌ 2.5$2.91 | C$ 9$6.62 | Lisbon โ56% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฌ 9$10.5 | C$ 20$14.7 | Lisbon โ29% |
| Bottled water | โฌ 0.8$0.93 | C$ 2.3$1.69 | Lisbon โ45% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฌ 1.5$1.74 | C$ 2.8$2.06 | Lisbon โ15% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฌ 7$8.14 | C$ 17$12.5 | Lisbon โ35% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฌ 5$5.81 | C$ 10$7.35 | Lisbon โ21% |
| Transitone ride | โฌ 1.9$2.21 | C$ 3.75$2.76 | Lisbon โ20% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฌ 40$46.5 | C$ 40$29.4 | Montreal โ37% |
| Hotel night3-star | โฌ 140$163 | C$ 190$140 | Montreal โ14% |
| Studio rent (month) | โฌ 1,300$1,512 | C$ 1,680$1,235 | Montreal โ18% |
| Laundry | โฌ 2.5$2.91 | C$ 6$4.41 | Lisbon โ34% |
| SIM card1 week data | โฌ 15$17.4 | C$ 35$25.7 | Lisbon โ32% |
| Haircutcut | โฌ 15$17.4 | C$ 32$23.5 | Lisbon โ26% |
| Massage1 hour | โฌ 50$58.1 | C$ 95$69.9 | Lisbon โ17% |
| Half-day tourper person | โฌ 40$46.5 | C$ 100$73.5 | Lisbon โ37% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฌ 15$17.4 | C$ 24$17.6 | similar |
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%+.
Lisbon and Montreal cost about the same. Daily budget $272 vs $266; a month $5,020 vs $4,773.
Montreal is easier: Montreal 1.6/5 vs Lisbon 2.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Lisbon is about $5,020 and Montreal about $4,773 per month.
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.