Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Balti

For one person, living is cheaper in Balti: $974 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Balti
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Balti Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Balti

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $974 in Balti, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Balti $974

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,414 in Balti, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Balti $1,414

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,854 in Balti, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Balti $1,854

Lisbon costs about 127% more than Balti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Balti is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$8.51 MDL 152

95.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$22.53 MDL 403

174.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$10.35 MDL 185

9.76%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.74 MDL 31.14

70.69%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.06 MDL 19.00

116.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.65 MDL 11.70

167.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.12 MDL 20.09

203.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.38 MDL 24.61

139.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.20 MDL 21.54

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.45 MDL 8.03

324.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.54 MDL 27.47

-1.95%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.15 MDL 38.48

86.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$6.78 MDL 121

90.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$4.70 MDL 84.1

65.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$6.18 MDL 111

187.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.99 MDL 17.68

132.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.29 MDL 41.03

-24.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.88 MDL 33.65

-1.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.29 MDL 40.87

13.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.71 MDL 12.77

156.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.52 MDL 9.21

278.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.43 MDL 7.71

241.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.54 MDL 9.73

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.27 MDL 58.5

101.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.34 MDL 77.6

29.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.35 MDL 24.21

0.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.99 MDL 35.67

7.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.34 MDL 6.15

585.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$16.78 MDL 300

166.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.76 MDL 49.41

39.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.24 MDL 4.25

345.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$5.45 MDL 97.4

202.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.62 MDL 29.00

35.80%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.4K MDL 597.1K

2.38%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$24.1K MDL 430.5K

60.84%

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

$161 €145

$220 MDL 3,942

-26.88%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$7.74 MDL 138

137.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$11.03 MDL 197

196.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$36.85 MDL 659

20.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$15.34 MDL 274

24.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.61 MDL 136

26.15%

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

$668 €600

$113 MDL 2,012

493.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,113 MDL 91.4K

244.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$44.39 MDL 794

129.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$33.84 MDL 605

31.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$55.6 MDL 994

77.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$50.9 MDL 910

142.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$397 MDL 7,093

305.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$280 MDL 5,004

325.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$657 MDL 11.7K

327.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$495 MDL 8,859

306.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,399 MDL 25.0K

460.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$992 MDL 17.7K

361.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$606 MDL 10.8K

160.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-51.88%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Balti: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Balti

$280 28.7% 76.5% $910

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Balti

$162 16.7% 40.4% $110

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Balti

$135 13.9% 44.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Balti

$239 24.6% 12.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Balti

$83 8.5% 49.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Balti

$52 5.4% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Balti

$22 2.3% 65% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $397 in Balti. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $23 in Balti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $162 – making Balti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇩 Balti

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

144,800

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Balti 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Balti

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 Balti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $974 in Balti – Balti comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,461 in Balti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $113 in Balti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Balti, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Balti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Balti – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Balti. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.