Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Lisbon Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Lisbon

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,663 in Ballarat versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,699 in Ballarat versus $3,311 in Lisbon.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,734 in Ballarat versus $4,411 in Lisbon.

Living in Ballarat costs roughly 25% less than in Lisbon, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 24% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 A$19.20

$15.91 €13.69

-13.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 A$91.9

$64.8 €55.7

1.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 A$13.38

$10.51 €9.04

-8.66%

Cappuccino

$3.48 A$4.84

$2.87 €2.47

21.25%

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

$2.61 A$3.64

$2.24 €1.93

16.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 A$2.91

$1.50 €1.29

39.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 A$8.57

$3.49 €3.00

76.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 A$9.47

$3.88 €3.34

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.01

$1.14 €0.98

26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 A$3.47

$1.75 €1.51

42.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 A$2.19

$1.76 €1.51

-10.80%

Eggs

$4.03 A$5.62

$3.22 €2.77

25.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 A$12.68

$13.49 €11.61

-32.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 A$12.60

$7.91 €6.81

14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 A$20.44

$15.87 €13.65

-7.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.49

$2.31 €1.99

39.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.91

$1.70 €1.46

65.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 A$3.96

$2.01 €1.73

41.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 A$5.40

$2.46 €2.12

57.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 A$3.74

$1.84 €1.59

46.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.15

$2.00 €1.72

13.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 A$2.98

$1.93 €1.66

10.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 A$1.40

$0.79 €0.68

26.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.17 A$43.43

$6.61 €5.68

371.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 A$19.61

$5.72 €4.92

145.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 A$3.00

$1.37 €1.17

56.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 A$4.20

$2.97 €2.56

1.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 A$2.31

$2.37 €2.04

-29.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 A$91.0

$45.56 €39.19

43.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 A$3.28

$4.29 €3.69

-44.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 A$1.69

$0.82 €0.70

47.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 A$34.88

$18.30 €15.74

36.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 A$1.55

$2.06 €1.78

-46.12%

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

$27.6K A$38.5K

$34.3K €29.5K

-19.39%

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

$22.8K A$31.8K

$39.3K €33.8K

-41.94%

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

$153 A$213

$148 €127

3.47%

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

$21.26 A$29.63

$20.52 €17.65

3.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 A$70.3

$39.61 €34.08

27.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.00 A$44.59

$47.85 €41.16

-33.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.80 A$22.02

$18.92 €16.28

-16.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 A$15.13

$9.18 €7.90

18.30%

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

$329 A$458

$614 €528

-46.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K A$27.1K

$16.0K €13.8K

21.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 A$90.7

$105 €90.0

-37.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 A$73.8

$42.06 €36.18

25.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 A$122

$94.0 €80.8

-7.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 A$131

$120 €103

-21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 A$1,199

$1,628 €1,400

-47.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 A$888

$1,255 €1,080

-49.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,015 A$2,808

$3,030 €2,607

-33.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 A$1,881

$2,020 €1,738

-33.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,884 A$6,806

$7,800 €6,709

-37.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,585 A$4,995

$4,273 €3,675

-16.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,249 A$4,527

$1,603 €1,379

102.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.07

3.81

59.32%

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

Last update for Ballarat: June 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $861 in Ballarat and $1,628 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 103% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Ballarat vs $65.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

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 33% 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.

Ballarat pays 103% more on average, 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: $861 in Ballarat versus $1,628 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Ballarat versus $614 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,663 in Ballarat versus $2,210 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 $1,663 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 33% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.