City comparison
Funchal vs Lisbon: which is better to live in?
Quick verdict
Funchal is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €250 a month less than Lisbon, mostly because of rent. Funchal has the milder winter (about 20°C vs 16°C average highs in Dec to Feb). Both are in Portugal, so the visa rules, taxes and healthcare system are the same: the choice comes down to cost, climate and lifestyle.
Choose Funchal for
- Mountains nearby
- Calm, slower pace
- Affordability
- Safety
- Lower living costs
Choose Lisbon for
- Nightlife
- Public transport
- Beach life
- Culture
Funchal vs Lisbon at a glance
| Funchal | Lisbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Portugal | Portugal |
| Single budget / month | €1,850 | €2,100 |
| Couple budget / month | €2,750 | €3,050 |
| 1-bed rent, center | €1,050 | €1,400 |
| Winter highs (Dec to Feb) | 20°C / 69°F | 16°C / 60°F |
| Summer highs (Jun to Aug) | 25°C / 78°F | 28°C / 82°F |
| Sunshine (hours/yr) | 2,314 | 2,875 |
| City size | Mid-size city | Capital / metropolis |
| Coastal | Yes | Yes |
| Direct flights to the US | Yes | Yes |
| Affordability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Sunny, warm climate | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| English-friendliness | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Walkability | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Public transport | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nature & green space | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Beach life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mountains nearby | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Culture | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Nightlife | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Family life | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Remote-work scene | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Expat community | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Flights home | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Calm, slower pace | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
Cost of living: Funchal or Lisbon?
By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €1,850 a month for one person in Funchal and €2,100 in Lisbon, rent included. For a couple it’s €2,750 vs €3,050, and for a family of four €3,900 vs €4,500.
Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,050 in Funchal against €1,400 in Lisbon, while a monthly transit pass costs - vs €40. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.
Climate and weather
Winters average highs of about 20°C (69°F) in Funchal and 16°C (60°F) in Lisbon. In summer it’s roughly 25°C vs 28°C. Funchal gets about 2,314 hours of sunshine a year and Lisbon about 2,875.
2,314 hours of sunshine a year · 574 mm of rain a year · Source: Funchal Observatory 1991-2020 (IPMA; sunshine DWD) via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20°C / 68°F | 14°C / 58°F |
| Feb | 20°C / 68°F | 14°C / 57°F |
| Mar | 21°C / 69°F | 14°C / 58°F |
| Apr | 21°C / 70°F | 15°C / 59°F |
| May | 22°C / 72°F | 16°C / 61°F |
| Jun | 24°C / 75°F | 18°C / 65°F |
| Jul | 25°C / 78°F | 20°C / 67°F |
| Aug | 27°C / 80°F | 21°C / 69°F |
| Sep | 27°C / 80°F | 20°C / 69°F |
| Oct | 25°C / 77°F | 19°C / 67°F |
| Nov | 23°C / 73°F | 17°C / 63°F |
| Dec | 21°C / 70°F | 16°C / 60°F |
2,875 hours of sunshine a year · 794 mm of rain a year · Source: IPMA 1991-2020 normals (Lisbon, Instituto Geofisico D. Luis) with DWD sunshine, via the Wikipedia climate table
Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
| Month | Avg high | Avg low |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15°C / 59°F | 9°C / 47°F |
| Feb | 16°C / 62°F | 9°C / 48°F |
| Mar | 19°C / 66°F | 11°C / 52°F |
| Apr | 20°C / 69°F | 12°C / 54°F |
| May | 23°C / 74°F | 14°C / 58°F |
| Jun | 26°C / 79°F | 17°C / 62°F |
| Jul | 28°C / 83°F | 18°C / 65°F |
| Aug | 29°C / 84°F | 19°C / 66°F |
| Sep | 27°C / 80°F | 18°C / 64°F |
| Oct | 23°C / 73°F | 15°C / 60°F |
| Nov | 18°C / 65°F | 12°C / 53°F |
| Dec | 15°C / 60°F | 9°C / 49°F |
Daily life
Funchal is a mid-size city on the coast; Lisbon is a capital / metropolis on the coast. Funchal has one of the mildest climates in Europe, a safe small-city feel and a well-known remote-work scene on Madeira. It is steep, island-bound and pricier than most of mainland Portugal outside Lisbon. Lisbon is the best-connected and most international city in Portugal, with sunshine, a big nomad scene and direct flights to the US. It is also the most expensive Portuguese city and the one with the tightest housing, so budget for rent first.
Living in Funchal: the upsides and downsides
- Spring weather all year: January highs around 20 degrees C
- Very safe, friendly and easy in English
- Hiking along the levadas and dramatic coast
- Downside: Steep hills everywhere; a car helps
- Downside: Rents have risen fast with tourism and nomads
Living in Lisbon: the upsides and downsides
- Direct flights to many US and Canadian cities
- Largest English-speaking and nomad community in Portugal
- Sunny, mild winters and beaches within 30 to 45 minutes
- Downside: Rents have risen faster than local salaries
- Downside: Hilly streets and cobbles make parts of the city tiring on foot
Visas and residency
Both cities are in Portugal, so you’d use the same residence routes either way:
- Portugal D2 Visa (Independent Worker and Entrepreneur) - Freelance visa, open
- Portugal D7 Visa (Passive Income Visa) - Passive income visa, open, €920/mo income
- Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa - Digital nomad visa, open, €3,680/mo income
- Portugal Golden Visa (ARI Investor Residence) - Golden visa, open, €500,000 investment
Read the full guides: living in Funchal and living in Lisbon.
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Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 56 cities we cover. Methodology.