Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $2,483 in Ballina, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
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Ballina Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,483

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,483 per month in Ballina vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ballina $2,483
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $3,603 per month in Ballina vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ballina $3,603
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $4,722 per month in Ballina vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ballina $4,722
Lisbon $4,346

Ballina costs about 13% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ballina and Lisbon sit above the global median – Ballina by 83%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 A$24.92

$17.04 €15.15

1.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 A$122

$62.3 €55.4

35.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.79

$11.02 €9.80

-6.72%

Cappuccino

$3.89 A$5.60

$3.12 €2.78

24.68%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$2.27 €2.02

27.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.13

$1.74 €1.55

25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.67 A$11.03

$3.42 €3.04

124.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.73 A$11.12

$3.74 €3.33

106.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 A$3.69

$1.17 €1.04

119.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 A$4.71

$1.86 €1.66

75.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.30

$1.54 €1.37

48.70%

Eggs

$5.50 A$7.92

$4.06 €3.61

35.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.20 A$8.93

$12.91 €11.49

-51.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 A$13.64

$7.90 €7.03

20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.86

$17.64 €15.69

-17.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.94

$2.26 €2.01

51.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.31

$1.75 €1.55

70.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.67

$1.89 €1.68

71.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.99

$2.56 €2.27

35.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.07

$1.85 €1.64

52.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.97 €1.75

17.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 A$4.95

$1.45 €1.29

137.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.77 €0.69

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.17 A$60.7

$6.71 €5.97

528.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.11 A$20.31

$5.67 €5.04

148.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.72 A$6.79

$1.37 €1.22

244.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 A$7.69

$2.11 €1.88

153.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 A$4.22

$2.32 €2.07

26.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.8 A$118

$44.43 €39.52

84.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 A$4.89

$3.95 €3.51

-13.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.05 €0.93

48.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.36 A$56.7

$17.15 €15.26

129.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.88

$2.19 €1.95

-40.18%

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

$27.3K A$39.2K

$33.8K €30.0K

-19.33%

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

$29.4K A$42.3K

$38.3K €34.0K

-23.16%

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

$202 A$290

$164 €146

23.01%

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

$27.27 A$39.24

$18.48 €16.43

47.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$32.96 €29.32

69.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 A$79.9

$45.87 €40.80

21.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.72 A$25.50

$18.68 €16.61

-5.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 A$21.38

$9.75 €8.67

52.41%

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

$2,185 A$3,145

$684 €608

219.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K A$28.6K

$17.6K €15.7K

12.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$110

$104 €92.3

-26.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 A$78.5

$46.20 €41.09

18.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$152

$99.7 €88.7

6.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$176

$125 €111

-2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 A$2,019

$1,589 €1,414

-11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 A$1,706

$1,169 €1,040

1.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,174 A$3,128

$2,851 €2,536

-23.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 A$2,596

$1,993 €1,773

-9.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,904 A$8,495

$7,793 €6,932

-24.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,889 A$7,035

$4,418 €3,930

10.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.85

51.69%

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

Last update for Ballina: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$1.2K 47.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 1.4% $17

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$372 15%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 26.5% $99

Eating Out

Ballina

$290 11.7%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 14.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$284 11.5%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 24.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$161 6.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 4.3% $7

Getting Around

Ballina

$105 4.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 39.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$85 3.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 23.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,403 in Ballina versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Ballina versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $273 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballina

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

10 h behind Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,911

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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Ballina Lisbon 18,080 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballina
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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

Ballina vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ballina is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,725 per month in Ballina and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,185 per month in Ballina and $684 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Ballina, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Ballina at $2,483. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lisbon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ballina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.