{"id":4276,"date":"2019-08-04T10:57:54","date_gmt":"2019-08-04T10:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essencial-portugal.com\/fr\/?p=4276"},"modified":"2026-03-27T19:22:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T19:22:46","slug":"ranking-lisbon-2019-quality-cost-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essencial-portugal.com\/en\/news-portugal\/ranking-lisbon-2019-quality-cost-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Lisbon 2026 Ranking: Quality of Life and Cost of Living"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lisbon<\/h2>\n

Article updated March 2026 \u2013 Mercer and Monocle rankings updated with the latest available data.<\/em><\/p>\n

In short:<\/strong> In 2019, Lisbon was already the 95th most expensive city in the world for expatriates according to Mercer. By 2024, it had climbed back to 100th place (+17 positions compared to 2023). On the quality of life front, Monocle ranked it 3rd in the world in 2022, then 6th in 2024. Lisbon is both more expensive and more attractive than it was five years ago.<\/p>\n

Lisbon in the Top 100 most expensive capitals<\/h2>\n

The Portuguese capital ranked 95th most expensive city in the world in Mercer’s 2019 cost of living survey, dropping two positions compared to 2018. This does not mean Lisbon became cheaper \u2014 other cities simply rose faster. Among European cities, Lisbon was already on a par with Berlin (81st), Madrid (82nd) and Barcelona (92nd). Food, leisure, fuel and housing costs were the main drivers of the increase. As a reference, renting a three-bedroom apartment in Lisbon’s upmarket districts cost around \u20ac3,150\/month \u2014 compared to \u20ac12,910 in Hong Kong and \u20ac5,728 in London.<\/p>\n

Lisbon’s Mercer ranking over the years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/th>\nGlobal Mercer rank<\/th>\nNote<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
2019<\/td>\n95th<\/td>\nRise driven by housing costs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\n83rd<\/td>\n+23 places, post-Covid acceleration<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\n117th<\/td>\nDrop linked to exchange rate effects, not a real price decrease<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/td>\n100th<\/td>\n+17 places \u2014 cost of living rising sharply for expats<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

According to the latest available Mercer ranking (2024 edition, 226 cities analysed), Lisbon is now the 100th most expensive city in the world for expatriates<\/strong> and the 39th most expensive city in Europe<\/strong>. This rise reflects genuine local increases in housing, food, transport and service costs, amplified by exchange rate fluctuations. Lisbon remains more affordable than London, Zurich or Paris \u2014 but the gap is narrowing every year.<\/p>\n

Europe’s most expensive cities (2019 Mercer ranking)<\/h3>\n

In 2019, Zurich (5th) was the only European city in the global Top 10. Cities that dropped included Milan (45th, -12), Paris (47th, -13), Oslo (61st, -14) and Madrid (82nd, -18). The authors attributed this European decline to weakened currencies against the dollar, security concerns and economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\"2019<\/p>\n

The global Top 10 most expensive cities was dominated by 8 Asian cities, led by Hong Kong:<\/p>\n