Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birgu and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgu: $1,731 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Birgu versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Birgu $1,731
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,817 in Birgu versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Birgu $2,817
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,902 in Birgu versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Birgu $3,902
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Birgu costs roughly 22% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Birgu 28% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 €17.58

$16.50 €14.67

19.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €77.9

$61.3 €54.5

43.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 €10.56

$11.27 €10.03

5.32%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$3.06 €2.72

-13.73%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.26 €2.01

1.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.73 €1.54

-0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 €3.98

$3.39 €3.02

32.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.61

$3.40 €3.02

52.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.12 €1.00

21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.86 €1.65

-27.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$1.53 €1.36

175.16%

Eggs

$4.05 €3.60

$3.96 €3.53

2.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 €7.39

$12.76 €11.35

-34.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 €7.64

$7.90 €7.02

8.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 €13.63

$16.97 €15.09

-9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.27 €2.02

22.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.75 €1.55

-28.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.85 €1.64

52.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.57 €2.28

7.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.86 €1.65

18.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.02 €1.80

-16.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.44 €1.28

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.82 €0.73

6.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$6.56 €5.83

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 €7.40

$5.62 €5.00

48.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.28 €1.14

24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.07 €1.84

17.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.35 €2.09

-0.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.80 €12.27

$44.18 €39.30

-68.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 €4.82

$3.99 €3.55

35.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.03 €24.04

$16.64 €14.81

62.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.28 €2.03

-35.96%

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

$26.0K €23.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

-22.68%

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

$32.7K €29.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

-16.87%

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

$103 €91.3

$167 €149

-38.69%

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

$25.53 €22.70

$18.80 €16.72

35.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.11 €29.45

$33.09 €29.43

0.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.55 €38.74

$46.01 €40.93

-5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.5 €59.2

$19.19 €17.07

246.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.80

$9.84 €8.75

0.51%

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

$371 €330

$677 €602

-45.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,023 €1,799

$16.9K €15.1K

-88.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.33 €22.53

$101 €90.1

-74.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.87 €30.13

$45.76 €40.70

-25.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.1

$100.0 €88.9

0.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €97.4

$123 €109

-10.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 €872

$1,614 €1,436

-39.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 €709

$1,197 €1,065

-33.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 €1,588

$2,862 €2,545

-37.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,365

$1,990 €1,770

-22.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 €3,603

$7,577 €6,740

-46.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,820 €2,509

$4,307 €3,831

-34.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 €1,666

$1,588 €1,412

17.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

3.85

-24.68%

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

Last update for Birgu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birgu

$798 46.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 50.1% $400

Groceries & Markets

Birgu

$279 16.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 3.6% $10

Eating Out

Birgu

$274 15.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 11.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birgu

$161 9.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 36% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Birgu

$121 7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 37.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Birgu

$63 3.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 3.7% $2.3

Getting Around

Birgu

$34 2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 85.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Birgu and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88.0 in Birgu vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Birgu

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h behind Birgu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

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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Highest

Between locations

Birgu Lisbon 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Birgu
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

Birgu vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgu wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Birgu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Birgu, 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: $980 in Birgu versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 220% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $371 in Birgu versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,731 in Birgu versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Birgu but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Birgu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Birgu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,731 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Birgu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Birgu 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 Birgu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.