Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lija

For one person, living is cheaper in Lija: $1,974 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Lija
Learn more

Lija Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lija

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,974 in Lija, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Lija $1,974

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $3,101 in Lija, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Lija $3,101

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $4,228 in Lija, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Lija $4,228

Lisbon costs about 12% more than Lija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Lija sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Lija by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$22.47 €20.05

-25.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$90.7 €80.9

-31.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$13.33 €11.89

-14.78%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$3.20 €2.86

-7.19%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.34 €2.08

-2.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.92 €1.71

-9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$5.71 €5.10

-40.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$6.78 €6.05

-51.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.32 €1.18

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.46 €1.30

30.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.42 €3.05

-55.85%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$4.23 €3.78

-4.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$10.29 €9.18

25.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$11.83 €10.55

-34.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$18.44 €16.46

-3.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.75 €3.35

-38.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.80 €2.50

-38.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.96 €3.54

-53.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.84 €3.42

-32.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.86 €1.66

-2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.36 €3.00

-41.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.21 €1.97

-33.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.49 €1.33

-51.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$6.18 €5.52

6.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$5.85 €5.22

-4.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.39 €2.13

-43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.28 €2.04

-6.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.45 €2.18

-4.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$3.98 €3.55

-3.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.76 €1.57

-39.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$32.80 €29.26

-49.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.52 €1.36

44.74%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$28.2K €25.1K

21.44%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$38.9K €34.8K

-0.58%

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

$161 €144

$157 €140

2.62%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$31.50 €28.10

-41.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$28.99 €25.87

12.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$56.7 €50.6

-21.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$11.33 €10.11

-15.27%

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

$668 €596

$272 €243

145.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$12.3K €11.0K

43.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$57.7 €51.5

76.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$67.6 €60.3

-34.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$111 €99.0

-11.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$131 €117

-5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$1,205 €1,075

33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$830 €741

43.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$1,528 €1,363

84.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$1,497 €1,336

34.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$4,448 €3,969

76.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$2,958 €2,639

54.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

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 Lija: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Lija

$830 42.1% 30.2% $360

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Lija

$341 17.3% 25.4% $69

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Lija

$317 16.1% 30.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Lija

$218 11% 2.5% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Lija

$165 8.4% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Lija

$79 4% 24.5% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Lija

$23 * 1.1% 64.3% $41

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 $1,205 in Lija. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $91 in Lija. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $341 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Lija

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Lisbon
Lija

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 Lija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,974 in Lija – Lija comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,961 in Lija. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lija, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,205 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,974 in Lija. That makes Lija about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $272 in Lija. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,974 in Lija, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Lija – 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.