Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Ballina and in Lisbon: $2,218 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

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

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,218

/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 $2,218 per month in Ballina vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ballina $2,218
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $3,255 per month in Ballina vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ballina $3,255
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $4,293 per month in Ballina vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Ballina $4,293
Lisbon $4,346

Ballina costs about 1% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ballina and Lisbon sit above the global median – Ballina by 64%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.90 €15.04

$17.04 €15.15

-0.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €58.9

$62.3 €55.4

6.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 €11.05

$11.02 €9.80

12.79%

Cappuccino

$3.84 €3.42

$3.12 €2.78

23.08%

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

$1.55 €1.38

$2.27 €2.02

-31.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.74 €1.55

-24.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 €5.12

$3.42 €3.04

68.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.60 €6.76

$3.74 €3.33

103.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.17 €1.04

39.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.86 €1.66

18.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.54 €1.37

34.42%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.77

$4.06 €3.61

-23.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 €9.08

$12.91 €11.49

-20.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$7.90 €7.03

63.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.37

$17.64 €15.69

-8.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.26 €2.01

22.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.75 €1.55

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.89 €1.68

43.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 €4.57

$2.56 €2.27

100.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.85 €1.64

1.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.97 €1.75

-21.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.45 €1.29

-6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.86

$0.77 €0.69

172.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.99 €18.67

$6.71 €5.97

212.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.89

$5.67 €5.04

76.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.37 €1.22

151.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.06

$2.11 €1.88

62.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.51 €4.90

$2.32 €2.07

137.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$137 €122

$44.43 €39.52

208.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 €4.45

$3.95 €3.51

26.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.05 €0.93

45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.53 €33.38

$17.15 €15.26

118.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.19 €1.95

-9.13%

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

$33.9K €30.1K

$33.8K €30.0K

0.21%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$38.3K €34.0K

-0.63%

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

$280 €249

$164 €146

71.21%

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

$18.65 €16.59

$18.48 €16.43

0.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.19 €34.86

$32.96 €29.32

18.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.71

$45.87 €40.80

12.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.02 €9.80

$18.68 €16.61

-41.01%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 €10.80

$9.75 €8.67

24.62%

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

$1,265 €1,125

$684 €608

84.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K €12.9K

$17.6K €15.7K

-17.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.6

$104 €92.3

2.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 €44.19

$46.20 €41.09

7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 €103

$99.7 €88.7

16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$125 €111

-9.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 €793

$1,589 €1,414

-43.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 €746

$1,169 €1,040

-28.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,151

$2,851 €2,536

-54.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 €1,210

$1,993 €1,773

-31.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 €3,040

$7,793 €6,932

-56.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,838 €2,524

$4,418 €3,930

-35.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,322 €2,955

$1,600 €1,423

107.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.85

-0.78%

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

Last update for Ballina: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$839 37.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 39.3% $330

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$346 15.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 21.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$338 15.3%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 36.4% $123

Eating Out

Ballina

$274 12.4%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 9.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$173 7.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 2.6% $4.4

Getting Around

Ballina

$172 7.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 63.4% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$76 3.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 13.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 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.

Salaries run about 108% higher in Ballina, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Ballina versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $273 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Ballina

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

Same time as Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,556

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ballina Lisbon 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ballina
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

Ballina vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballina costs about 1% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,327 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.

Public transport costs about 209% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,265 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.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Ballina at $2,218. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lisbon costs $2,202 versus $2,218 in Ballina. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.