Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Birgu

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgu: $1,731 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Birgu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,731 in Birgu.

Lisbon $2,210
Birgu $1,731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,812 in Birgu.

Lisbon $3,275
Birgu $2,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,894 in Birgu.

Lisbon $4,341
Birgu $3,894

Living in Lisbon is roughly 28% more expensive than in Birgu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Birgu 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$19.30 €17.28

-13.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$87.5 €78.4

-29.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$11.78 €10.55

-3.57%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.72 €2.44

9.19%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.18 €1.95

5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.70 €1.52

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.65 €4.16

-26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.04 €4.51

-34.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.35 €1.21

-14.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.29 €1.15

48.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$4.24 €3.80

-64.39%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.08 €3.65

-1.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.38 €7.50

54.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$8.24 €7.38

-5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$15.41 €13.80

15.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.86 €2.56

-19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.25 €1.12

38.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.76 €2.47

-32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.81 €2.51

-7.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.22 €1.99

-18.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.66 €1.49

18.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.28 €2.04

-35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.91 €0.81

-20.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.72 €6.02

-2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$8.10 €7.25

-30.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.51 €1.36

-9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.39 €2.14

-10.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.28 €2.04

2.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$13.94 €12.48

220.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$5.74 €5.14

-32.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.14 €1.02

-6.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$26.73 €23.94

-38.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.48 €1.33

48.65%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$26.3K €23.6K

29.90%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.3K €29.8K

16.23%

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

$161 €144

$101 €90.5

59.59%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$25.15 €22.52

-26.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$33.31 €29.83

-1.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$44.02 €39.43

1.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$66.8 €59.8

-71.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.88 €8.84

-2.83%

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

$668 €598

$372 €333

79.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,987 €1,780

786.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$25.02 €22.41

307.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$33.21 €29.74

33.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$99.6 €89.2

-1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$110 €98.6

12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,001 €897

60.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$803 €720

48.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$3,637 €3,257

-22.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,537 €1,377

30.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$3,956 €3,543

98.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,883 €2,582

58.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,887 €1,690

-16.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.9

32.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Birgu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Birgu

$803 46.4% 32.5% $387

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Birgu

$278 16% 1.9% $5.3

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Birgu

$271 15.7% 11.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Birgu

$159 9.2% 24.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Birgu

$121 7% 27.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Birgu

$64 3.7% 0% $0

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Birgu

$34 2% 45.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,001 in Birgu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays 20% 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 $88 in Birgu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $278 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Birgu

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

08:16 8:16 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,500

💱 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

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

From you

Lisbon
Birgu

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 Birgu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgu wins on cost – living expenses run 22% 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.

On paper, salaries run 17% 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 $1,001 in Birgu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 69% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,731 in Birgu – Birgu is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,731 in Birgu versus $2,210 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 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, Lisbon and Birgu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.