Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Birkirkara

For one person, living is cheaper in Birkirkara: $2,024 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Birkirkara
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Birkirkara Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Birkirkara

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Birkirkara

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $2,024 in Birkirkara, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Birkirkara $2,024

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $3,003 in Birkirkara, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Birkirkara $3,003

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $3,981 in Birkirkara, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Birkirkara $3,981

Lisbon costs about 10% more than Birkirkara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Birkirkara sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Birkirkara by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$10.96 €9.75

50.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$77.7 €69.1

-21.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.64 €12.14

-17.38%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.07 €2.73

-0.33%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.24 €2.00

0.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.60 €1.42

8.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.31 €2.94

2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.40 €3.03

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.28 €1.14

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.28 €1.14

45.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.60 €3.20

-57.50%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.38 €3.00

17.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$13.26 €11.79

-3.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$12.47 €11.09

-36.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.25 €16.23

-7.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.62 €2.33

-13.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.03 €1.80

-13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.14 €1.90

-13.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.81 €2.50

-8.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.38 €1.23

34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.99 €1.77

1.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.92 €1.70

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.07 €0.95

-23.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.38 €5.67

2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.01 €8.90

-43.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.26 €2.01

-43.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.75 €3.33

-44.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.20 €1.95

6.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$27.75 €24.68

59.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.42 €4.82

-26.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.88 €2.56

-62.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$70.9 €63.1

-76.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.46 €1.30

56.16%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.3K €28.7K

4.36%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$41.1K €36.5K

-4.36%

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

$167 €149

$116 €103

44.45%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$29.28 €26.05

-35.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$31.12 €27.68

6.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$65.4 €58.2

-29.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$28.71 €25.54

-33.16%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$13.57 €12.07

-27.49%

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

$677 €602

$415 €369

63.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$6,689 €5,950

152.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$141 €126

-28.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$58.4 €52.0

-21.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$106 €94.2

-5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$161 €143

-23.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,150 €1,023

40.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$959 €853

24.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,698 €1,511

68.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,432 €1,274

38.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,906 €3,474

93.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,684 €2,388

60.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,847 €1,643

-14.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.79

-19.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Birkirkara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Birkirkara

$959 47.4% 19.8% $238

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Birkirkara

$326 16.1% 20.9% $56

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Birkirkara

$204 10.1% 15.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Birkirkara

$176 8.7% 19.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Birkirkara

$210 10.4% 26.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Birkirkara

$93 4.6% 40.9% $27

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Birkirkara

$56 2.8% 10.5% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,150 in Birkirkara. 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 16% higher in Birkirkara, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $78.0 in Birkirkara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $326 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Birkirkara

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

22,247

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Birkirkara 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Birkirkara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 10% more than Birkirkara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $3,037 in Birkirkara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birkirkara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $78.0 in Birkirkara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Birkirkara, where all-in costs run around $2,024, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Birkirkara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Birkirkara costs $2,024 versus $2,223 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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