Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Marsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,871 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marsa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Marsa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,871 in Marsa.

Lisbon $2,210
Marsa $2,871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,976 in Marsa.

Lisbon $3,275
Marsa $3,976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,081 in Marsa.

Lisbon $4,341
Marsa $5,081

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 23% less than in Marsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Marsa 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$19.41 €17.31

-14.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$85.2 €76.0

-27.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$13.67 €12.19

-16.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.69 €2.40

10.41%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.28 €2.04

0.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.27 €2.02

-23.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$4.58 €4.08

-25.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.53 €2.25

30.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.36 €1.21

-14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.29 €1.15

48.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$4.22 €3.76

-64.22%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$4.33 €3.87

-7.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$8.43 €7.52

53.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$10.25 €9.14

-24.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$18.47 €16.48

-3.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.27 €3.81

-46.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.69 €2.40

-35.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.55 €3.17

-47.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.27 €2.92

-20.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.25 €2.01

-19.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.87 €1.67

5.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.27 €2.02

-35.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.31 €1.17

-45.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$6.85 €6.11

-3.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$8.36 €7.46

-32.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.63 €1.46

-16.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.33 €2.08

-8.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$5.75 €5.13

-33.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.29 €2.04

-53.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$26.56 €23.69

-38.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.47 €1.31

49.66%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$37.4K €33.3K

-8.53%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$38.4K €34.2K

0.96%

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

$161 €144

$103 €92.2

55.95%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$24.97 €22.28

-26.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$42.87 €38.25

-23.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$10.19 €9.09

-5.79%

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

$668 €596

$372 €332

79.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$11.2K €9,953

57.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$86.1 €76.8

18.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$39.89 €35.59

11.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$101 €90.4

-2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$77.4 €69.1

59.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$2,481 €2,213

-35.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$1,925 €1,718

-38.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$2,271 €2,026

23.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$2,758 €2,460

-26.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$3,229 €2,881

-51.22%

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 Marsa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Marsa

$1.9K 67.1% 61.8% $735

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Marsa

$326 11.3% 19.5% $53

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Marsa

$275 9.6% 13.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Marsa

$171 6% 19.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Marsa

$137 4.8% 17.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Marsa

$20 * 0.7% 68% $43

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Marsa

$17 * 0.6% 72.8% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,481 in Marsa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsa pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $85 in Marsa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $326 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Marsa

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,000

💱 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 Marsa 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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Marsa

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 Marsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,871 in Marsa, so Lisbon is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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 $2,481 in Marsa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Marsa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,871 in Marsa – Lisbon is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Marsa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Marsa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.