Cost of Living: Lagos vs Lisbon (2026)

Portugal vs Portugal — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Lagos

Lisbon

$1,233/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,616/mo

−$3k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

−$3k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

—

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

IFICI (NHR 2.0) (Limited)

Freelance setup

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRLagos is 24% cheaper on rent ($1,233/mo vs $1,616/mo). Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Lisbon edges ahead 79 to 74. Lagos isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

How the livability score breaks down

Lagos

Lisbon

17/25

💰 Affordability

13.3/25

14.3/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.3/15

6.1/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

6.7/10

6.3/15

⚡ Internet

15/15

12.1/15

🗳️ Democracy

12.1/15

8.7/10

🗣️ English

8.7/10

8.3/10

☀️ Climate

8.8/10

7.6/10

📊 Stability

7.6/10

7.5/10

🚗 Road Safety

7.5/10

8.5/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8.5/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇵🇹 Lisbon

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇵🇹 Lagos

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Lisbon vs Porto

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Lagos

Metric

Lisbon

✓$518/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$567/mo

✓$5,682

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$7,362

82 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

83 / 100

0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.7 / 100k

7.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

7.2 / 100k

61 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

67 / 100✓

82°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

81°F

50°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

48°F

84 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

238 Mbps✓

—

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

10.6 μg/m³

84 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

81 / 100

8.1 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

6.7 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.7 / 9

67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

67 / 100

72/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

72/100

$52k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$52k

2.4% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.4% · Boringly steady

—

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

78/100 — Mostly stable

96/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

96/100

A median Software Engineer in Lagos takes home $2,624/mo under Standard employee. In Lisbon: $3,150/mo under Standard employee.

$526/mo more in Lisbon

🎯 Lisbon's IFICI (NHR 2.0) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,691/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$50k

💰

Gross income

$64k

−$13k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$19k

−$6k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$7k

$31k/yr

$3k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$38k/yr✓

$3k/mo

−$34k

🏠

Cost of living

−$40k

−$3k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

−$3k/yr✓

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Lagos

$384/mo cheaper on rent alone

Sun

How much sky you actually get

62% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

65% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.7h

Shortest day

Dec

9.5h

14.7h

Longest day

Jun

14.9h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

Democracy trend

stable →

declining ↓

Inflation trend

improving ↑

—

Industries

fintechhealthtechgreentechai

—

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

—

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

Partner pathway

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

—

Retiree visa

€920/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

10 wk

Gestational limit

10 wk

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Lagos vs Lisbon — Common Questions

Is Lagos cheaper than Lisbon?▾

Lagos is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1233/month there vs $1616/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lagos or Lisbon?▾

Lisbon is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lagos has a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 and Lisbon has 0.69 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lagos or Lisbon?▾

Lisbon edges ahead 79 to 74. Lagos isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Lagos or Lisbon?▾

Lagos: no specific remote work visa. Lisbon: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Lagos vs Lisbon?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1233/month in Lagos, $1616/month in Lisbon (Numbeo). That's 24% cheaper rent in Lagos.