Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,939 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Balzan

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,939 in Balzan, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Balzan $1,939

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,927 in Balzan, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Balzan $2,927

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $3,915 in Balzan, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Balzan $3,915

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

Both Lisbon and Balzan sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Balzan by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$18.68 €16.73

-10.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$91.1 €81.6

-32.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$12.10 €10.84

-6.12%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.09 €2.76

-3.88%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.93 €1.73

18.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.03 €0.92

68.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.26 €2.92

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.45 €2.19

35.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.25 €1.12

-7.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.97 €0.87

96.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.52 €3.16

-57.10%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.30 €3.85

-6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.30 €9.23

25.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$9.10 €8.15

-14.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$12.40 €11.10

43.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.64 €2.37

-12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.04 €1.83

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.68 €1.51

10.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.15 €1.03

125.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.86 €0.77

111.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.91 €0.81

116.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.85 €0.76

72.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.99 €0.89

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.09 €5.46

8.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.02 €5.39

-6.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.07 €0.96

27.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.49 €1.34

43.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.01 €2.70

-22.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.23 €2.00

72.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.76 €1.58

-39.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$32.03 €28.69

-48.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.52 €1.36

44.74%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.5K €24.6K

24.43%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$32.2K €28.9K

20.20%

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

$161 €144

$154 €138

4.59%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$19.90 €17.82

-7.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$28.97 €25.95

13.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$73.6 €65.9

-39.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.40 €10.21

-15.79%

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

$668 €598

$280 €250

138.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.1K €10.9K

45.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$58.0 €52.0

75.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$69.1 €61.9

-35.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$110 €98.5

-10.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$130 €117

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,132 €1,014

42.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$950 €851

25.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,804 €1,615

55.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,522 €1,364

32.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,057 €3,633

93.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,876 €2,575

59.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,000 €896

57.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.05

-4.94%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Balzan

$950 49% 20.2% $240

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Balzan

$245 12.6% 10% $27

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Balzan

$256 13.2% 5.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Balzan

$203 10.5% 4.4% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Balzan

$165 8.5% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Balzan

$96 5% 51.2% $33

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Balzan

$23 * 1.2% 63.5% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,132 in Balzan. 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. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $91 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $245 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Balzan

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

22:13 10:13 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

4,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Balzan 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min 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 Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,939 in Balzan – Balzan comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,908 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,132 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $91 in Balzan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,939 in Balzan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Balzan – 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 Balzan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.