Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ballarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,907 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
Learn more

Ballarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ballarat

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Ballarat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,907 in Ballarat.

Lisbon $2,210
Ballarat $1,907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,040 in Ballarat.

Lisbon $3,275
Ballarat $3,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,172 in Ballarat.

Lisbon $4,341
Ballarat $4,172

Living in Lisbon is roughly 16% more expensive than in Ballarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Ballarat 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$17.26 A$24.56

-3.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$69.7 A$99.1

-11.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.44 A$14.85

8.81%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.72 A$5.29

-20.16%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.95 A$4.20

-22.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.73 A$2.47

0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.26 A$8.90

-45.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.18 A$8.80

-46.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.55 A$2.20

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.81 A$3.99

-32.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.23 A$3.17

-32.29%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.17 A$5.93

-3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.43 A$14.83

24.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.13 A$14.41

-23.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$15.20 A$21.62

16.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.61 A$5.14

-36.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$3.10 A$4.40

-44.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.23 A$4.59

-42.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.47 A$6.36

-42.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.10 A$4.40

-41.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.46 A$3.50

-19.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.34 A$3.32

-37.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.50 A$2.14

-52.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$35.41 A$50.4

-81.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.65 A$18.00

-55.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.33 A$3.31

-41.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.19 A$4.54

-32.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.76 A$3.92

-15.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$71.1 A$101

-37.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.58 A$3.67

49.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.32 A$1.87

-18.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$26.48 A$37.66

-37.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.22 A$1.74

80.33%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$29.7K A$42.2K

15.15%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$25.4K A$36.2K

52.26%

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

$161 €144

$207 A$294

-22.12%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$27.77 A$39.50

-33.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$57.1 A$81.3

-42.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$31.65 A$45.02

40.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$11.37 A$16.17

67.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$15.14 A$21.53

-36.59%

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

$668 €598

$2,198 A$3,126

-69.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-41.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$70.6 A$100

44.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$49.59 A$70.5

-10.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$100 A$142

-1.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$134 A$190

-7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$903 A$1,284

78.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$673 A$957

76.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,290 A$1,835

117.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,454 A$2,068

38.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$4,809 A$6,839

63.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$3,452 A$4,910

32.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,185 A$4,529

-50.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.55

-30.63%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ballarat

$673 35.3% 43.4% $517

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ballarat

$354 18.5% 29.8% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ballarat

$276 14.5% 13.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ballarat

$292 15.3% 37.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ballarat

$159 8.4% 4% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ballarat

$62 3.3% 2.9% $1.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ballarat

$91 4.8% 44.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $903 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $70 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $354 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

20:08 8:08 PM

11 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

105,348

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Ballarat 17,660 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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

Lisbon vs Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 14% 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.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $903 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,198 in Ballarat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Ballarat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.