Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,909 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Balzan
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,909
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,909 per month in Balzan vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Balzan $1,909
  • Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $2,866 per month in Balzan vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Balzan $2,866
  • Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $3,822 per month in Balzan vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Balzan $3,822
  • Lisbon $4,319

Balzan is about 14% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Balzan and Lisbon sit above the global median – Balzan by 41%, Lisbon by 65%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.28 €16.26
$16.50 €14.67
10.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.1 €79.2
$61.3 €54.5
45.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.05 €10.72
$11.27 €10.03
6.92%
Cappuccino
$3.22 €2.86
$3.06 €2.72
5.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 €1.77
$2.26 €2.01
-11.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 €0.90
$1.73 €1.54
-41.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$3.39 €3.02
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 €2.27
$3.40 €3.02
-24.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 €1.08
$1.12 €1.00
8.04%
White Bread (500g)
$0.92 €0.82
$1.86 €1.65
-50.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.52 €3.13
$1.53 €1.36
130.07%
Eggs
$4.28 €3.81
$3.96 €3.53
8.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.12 €9.00
$12.76 €11.35
-20.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.68 €7.72
$7.90 €7.02
9.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.44 €11.07
$16.97 €15.09
-26.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 €2.24
$2.27 €2.02
11.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 €1.74
$1.75 €1.55
12.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 €1.58
$1.85 €1.64
-3.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.09 €0.97
$2.57 €2.28
-57.59%
Potato (1kg)
$0.91 €0.81
$1.86 €1.65
-51.08%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 €0.82
$2.02 €1.80
-54.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 €0.78
$1.44 €1.28
-39.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 €0.88
$0.82 €0.73
20.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.18 €5.50
$6.56 €5.83
-5.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.10 €5.43
$5.62 €5.00
8.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 €0.93
$1.28 €1.14
-17.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 €1.31
$2.07 €1.84
-28.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.11 €2.76
$2.35 €2.09
32.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.18 €39.30
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.18 €1.94
$3.99 €3.55
-45.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.09 €0.97
66.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.50 €28.91
$16.64 €14.81
95.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 €1.32
$2.28 €2.03
-35.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.3K €24.3K
$33.7K €30.0K
-18.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.6K €29.0K
$39.3K €35.0K
-16.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 €138
$167 €149
-7.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.91 €17.71
$18.80 €16.72
5.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.16 €25.94
$33.09 €29.43
-11.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.9 €49.75
$46.01 €40.93
21.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.19 €17.07
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.14 €9.91
$9.84 €8.75
13.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$273 €243
$677 €602
-59.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K €11.0K
$16.9K €15.1K
-26.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.3 €50.1
$101 €90.1
-44.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.8 €61.2
$45.76 €40.70
50.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 €99.1
$100.0 €88.9
11.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 €114
$123 €109
4.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 €985
$1,614 €1,436
-31.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$943 €839
$1,197 €1,065
-21.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,773 €1,577
$2,862 €2,545
-38.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 €1,324
$1,990 €1,770
-25.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,056 €3,608
$7,577 €6,740
-46.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,866 €2,550
$4,307 €3,831
-33.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Balzan
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,014 €902
$1,588 €1,412
-36.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.05
3.85
5.19%

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

Last update for Balzan: 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
Balzan
$943
Lisbon
$1.2K 26.9% $254
Eating Out
Balzan
$255
Lisbon
$242 5.1% $13
Groceries & Markets
Balzan
$241
Lisbon
$269 11.8% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balzan
$204
Lisbon
$219 7.3% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Balzan
$164
Lisbon
$166 1.4% $2.4
Sport & Entertainment
Balzan
$78
Lisbon
$66 16% $13
Getting Around
Balzan
$24 *
Lisbon
$63 166% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,108 in Balzan versus $1,614 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 57% higher in Lisbon, 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 $89.0 in Balzan versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $241 in Balzan vs $269 in Lisbon – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Balzan
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
14:34 2:34 PM
13:34 1:34 PM
1 h behind Balzan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,700
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Balzan Lisbon 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Balzan
  • 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
Balzan vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Balzan and in Lisbon compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,909 in Balzan, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Balzan compared to Lisbon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,864 per month in Balzan and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Balzan and Lisbon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Balzan and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 12% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Balzan, where all-in costs run around $1,909, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Balzan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Balzan and Lisbon?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,909 in Balzan to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Balzan or Lisbon safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Balzan and Lisbon?
If budget matters most, go with Balzan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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