Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,762 in Balga, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balga and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balga and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,762 in Balga versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Balga $2,762
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,828 in Balga versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Balga $3,828
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,893 in Balga versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Balga $4,893
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Balga is roughly 25% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Balga 103% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.97 A$29.71

$16.65 €14.92

25.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 A$118

$61.7 €55.3

34.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 A$15.77

$11.36 €10.18

-2.02%

Cappuccino

$4.62 A$6.54

$2.97 €2.66

55.56%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 A$3.96

$2.29 €2.05

22.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.26

$1.74 €1.56

32.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.39 A$11.89

$3.40 €3.05

146.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$3.31 €2.97

149.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.46

$1.16 €1.04

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.45

$1.91 €1.71

64.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.79

$1.51 €1.36

30.46%

Eggs

$5.09 A$7.22

$4.02 €3.60

26.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.13

$12.94 €11.59

-28.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.40

$7.77 €6.97

21.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 A$19.46

$17.76 €15.92

-22.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.46

$2.30 €2.06

98.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.55

$1.73 €1.55

85.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.05

$1.86 €1.66

91.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 A$6.87

$2.59 €2.32

87.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.03

$1.82 €1.63

56.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 A$2.73

$1.97 €1.76

-2.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.21

$1.47 €1.32

53.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$0.72 €0.65

86.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.17 A$59.7

$6.58 €5.90

540.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 A$17.65

$5.61 €5.02

122.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.16

$1.36 €1.22

219.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$4.98

$2.14 €1.91

64.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.78

$2.33 €2.09

14.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$44.68 €40.04

75.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 A$5.12

$3.85 €3.45

-6.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.07 €0.96

29.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.13 A$58.3

$16.46 €14.75

149.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.91

$2.20 €1.97

-38.64%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.9K A$42.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-12.51%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.8K A$39.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-28.08%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$207 A$293

$161 €144

28.10%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$33.27 A$47.13

$18.41 €16.50

80.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.5 A$90.0

$32.74 €29.34

94.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 A$88.7

$44.55 €39.92

40.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 A$27.29

$19.10 €17.11

0.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.26 A$24.45

$9.60 €8.60

79.79%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,271 A$3,217

$668 €598

240.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K A$33.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

34.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$102 €91.4

-23.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 A$89.9

$44.46 €39.85

42.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$98.5 €88.3

25.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 A$233

$124 €111

33.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,078

$1,608 €1,441

-8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 A$1,938

$1,190 €1,066

14.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 A$2,833

$2,812 €2,520

-28.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 A$2,523

$2,013 €1,804

-11.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,422 A$9,097

$7,839 €7,025

-18.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 A$6,217

$4,576 €4,100

-4.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 A$4,757

$1,575 €1,411

113.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

3.85

54.81%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Balga

$1.4K 49.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 13% $178

Groceries & Markets

Balga

$365 13.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 25.4% $93

Eating Out

Balga

$335 12.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 27.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balga

$303 11%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 30% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Balga

$193 7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 14.2% $27

Getting Around

Balga

$100 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 36.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Balga

$97 3.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 34.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,467 in Balga and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balga pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Balga vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Balga

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

8 h behind Balga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,685

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Balga Lisbon 15,040 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Balga
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Balga vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,762 in Balga and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Balga is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,467 in Balga versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $83 in Balga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,762 per month in Balga versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Balga and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Balga on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.