Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,902 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballarat 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 Ballarat and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Ballarat $1,902
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Ballarat $3,035
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Ballarat $4,168
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Ballarat costs roughly 14% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 41% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.47

$16.50 €14.67

7.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$101

$61.3 €54.5

14.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$11.27 €10.03

-8.87%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.45

$3.06 €2.72

23.86%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$2.26 €2.01

30.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.73 €1.54

9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.72

$3.39 €3.02

78.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.77

$3.40 €3.02

79.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.12 €1.00

40.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$1.86 €1.65

42.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.35

$1.53 €1.36

51.63%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.88

$3.96 €3.53

3.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.20

$12.76 €11.35

-17.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.33

$7.90 €7.02

26.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.55

$16.97 €15.09

-11.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$2.27 €2.02

54.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.75 €1.55

72.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$1.85 €1.64

68.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.73

$2.57 €2.28

82.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$1.86 €1.65

65.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$2.02 €1.80

26.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$1.44 €1.28

63.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.14

$0.82 €0.73

80.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.49

$6.56 €5.83

424.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$5.62 €5.00

125.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.28 €1.14

80.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.07 €1.84

50.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$2.35 €2.09

17.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$101

$44.18 €39.30

58.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.65

$3.99 €3.55

-36.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.93

$1.09 €0.97

22.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.33

$16.64 €14.81

60.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$2.28 €2.03

-48.25%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

-15.56%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$39.3K €35.0K

-33.84%

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

$206 A$296

$167 €149

22.74%

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

$27.76 A$39.95

$18.80 €16.72

47.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.6

$33.09 €29.43

73.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.13

$46.01 €40.93

-31.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.09

$19.19 €17.07

-41.74%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.14

$9.84 €8.75

56.30%

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

$2,144 A$3,085

$677 €602

216.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

78.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.8

$101 €90.1

-32.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.2

$45.76 €40.70

9.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$100.0 €88.9

-0.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$123 €109

8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,329

$1,614 €1,436

-42.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$965

$1,197 €1,065

-43.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,854

$2,862 €2,545

-54.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,092

$1,990 €1,770

-26.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

$7,577 €6,740

-39.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

$4,307 €3,831

-19.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,512

$1,588 €1,412

97.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

3.85

44.16%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 78.4% $526

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 23.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 24.5% $71

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 13.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 5% $7.9

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 30.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 5.7% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

16:47 4:47 PM

10 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Ballarat Lisbon 17,660 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

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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

Ballarat vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballarat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 97% higher in Ballarat, 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: $923 in Ballarat versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,902 in Ballarat versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ballarat but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ballarat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ballarat delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,902 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ballarat hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ballarat and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ballarat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.