Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Birzebbuga

For one person, living is cheaper in Birzebbuga: $1,662 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Birzebbuga
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Birzebbuga Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Birzebbuga

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Birzebbuga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,662 in Birzebbuga.

Lisbon $2,210
Birzebbuga $1,662

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,653 in Birzebbuga.

Lisbon $3,275
Birzebbuga $2,653

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,643 in Birzebbuga.

Lisbon $4,341
Birzebbuga $3,643

Living in Lisbon is roughly 33% more expensive than in Birzebbuga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Birzebbuga 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$15.24 €13.69

9.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$86.1 €77.3

-28.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.76 €10.56

-3.40%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.61 €2.35

13.79%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.06 €1.85

11.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.96 €1.76

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.26 €2.03

50.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.33 €2.99

-0.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.27 €1.14

-8.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.31 €1.17

45.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.12 €2.80

-51.60%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.60 €3.24

11.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.29 €7.45

56.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$9.61 €8.63

-19.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$18.35 €16.48

-3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.60 €2.33

-11.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.07 €1.86

-16.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.03 €2.72

-38.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.97 €2.67

-12.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.62 €1.45

12.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.85 €1.67

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.53 €1.37

-3.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.76 €0.68

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.02 €5.41

9.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.68 €6.00

-16.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.56 €1.40

-12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.40 €2.15

-10.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.25 €2.03

3.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$14.81 €13.30

201.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.57 €5.01

-30.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.18 €1.96

-50.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$27.14 €24.38

-39.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.47 €1.32

49.66%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$30.0K €27.0K

13.80%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$33.0K €29.7K

17.20%

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

$161 €145

$94.3 €84.7

70.98%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$25.00 €22.46

-26.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$42.58 €38.25

-23.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$55.7 €50.1

-20.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$21.94 €19.71

-12.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$10.14 €9.11

-5.33%

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

$668 €600

$367 €330

81.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,991 €8,077

95.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$86.7 €77.8

17.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$37.77 €33.93

17.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$91.5 €82.2

7.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$79.1 €71.1

56.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,174 €1,055

37.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$746 €670

59.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,688 €1,516

66.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,351 €1,214

49.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,912 €3,514

100.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,876 €2,583

59.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,758 €1,579

-10.41%

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 Birzebbuga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Birzebbuga

$746 44.9% 37.3% $444

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Birzebbuga

$283 17% 3.8% $10

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Birzebbuga

$223 13.4% 8.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Birzebbuga

$162 9.7% 23.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Birzebbuga

$133 8% 20% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Birzebbuga

$76 4.6% 19.3% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Birzebbuga

$40 2.4% 36.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,174 in Birzebbuga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birzebbuga pays 12% 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 $86 in Birzebbuga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $283 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Birzebbuga

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

21:35 9:35 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

10,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Lisbon
Birzebbuga

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 Birzebbuga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birzebbuga is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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 $1,174 in Birzebbuga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $86 in Birzebbuga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,662 in Birzebbuga – Birzebbuga is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Birzebbuga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.