Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ballsh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballsh: $1,185 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ballsh

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 Ballsh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,185 in Ballsh, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Ballsh $1,185

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,834 in Ballsh, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Ballsh $1,834

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,484 in Ballsh, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Ballsh $2,484

Lisbon costs about 86% more than Ballsh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Ballsh is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$9.65 ALL 786

72.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$54.6 ALL 4,443

13.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.04 ALL 573

61.36%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.25 ALL 183

32.00%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.47 ALL 120

55.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.90 ALL 73.3

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.50 ALL 285

-2.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.11 ALL 335

-19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.24 ALL 183

-48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.22 ALL 99.0

56.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.35 ALL 191

-35.74%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.80 ALL 310

5.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.01 ALL 1,059

-0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.45 ALL 770

-17.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$17.32 ALL 1,411

2.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.97 ALL 160

16.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.51 ALL 204

-31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.22 ALL 181

-16.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.91 ALL 155

35.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.06 ALL 86.7

71.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.32 ALL 107

49.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.50 ALL 123

-2.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.80 ALL 65.5

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.79 ALL 390

37.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.42 ALL 849

-46.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.62 ALL 132

-16.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.03 ALL 166

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.53 ALL 42.87

339.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$18.09 ALL 1,473

146.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.77 ALL 307

2.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.82 ALL 311

-71.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$18.59 ALL 1,514

-11.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.42 ALL 197

-9.09%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

2.88%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$29.1K ALL 2.4M

32.85%

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

$161 €144

$97.8 ALL 7,963

64.88%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$18.77 ALL 1,529

-1.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$20.21 ALL 1,646

62.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$50.8 ALL 4,139

-12.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.73 ALL 792

-1.34%

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

$668 €598

$341 ALL 27.7K

96.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,309 ALL 676.7K

112.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$48.97 ALL 3,989

108.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$47.59 ALL 3,876

-6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$118 ALL 9,633

-16.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$112 ALL 9,148

10.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$446 ALL 36.3K

260.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$332 ALL 27.1K

258.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$612 ALL 49.9K

359.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$486 ALL 39.6K

314.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,745 ALL 142.1K

349.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,144 ALL 93.2K

299.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.16

-25.39%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ballsh: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ballsh

$332 28% 72.1% $858

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ballsh

$295 24.9% 8.4% $23

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ballsh

$160 13.5% 33.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ballsh

$137 11.5% 35.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ballsh

$147 12.4% 11.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ballsh

$70 5.9% 10.3% $6.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ballsh

$43 3.6% 31.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $446 in Ballsh. 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $55 in Ballsh. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $295 in Ballsh – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Ballsh 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Ballsh

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 Ballsh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,778 in Ballsh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ballsh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $446 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $55 in Ballsh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ballsh, where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Ballsh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.