Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mellieha

For one person, living is cheaper in Mellieha: $1,906 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mellieha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,906 in Mellieha.

Lisbon $2,210
Mellieha $1,906

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,828 in Mellieha.

Lisbon $3,275
Mellieha $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,750 in Mellieha.

Lisbon $4,341
Mellieha $3,750

Living in Lisbon is roughly 16% more expensive than in Mellieha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Mellieha 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.70 €14.96

-0.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$63.6 €57.0

-2.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.48 €9.40

8.40%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.69 €2.41

10.41%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.40 €2.15

-4.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.99 €1.78

-12.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.82 €3.42

-10.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.81 €6.10

-51.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.37 €1.23

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.31 €1.18

45.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.53 €3.16

-57.22%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.42 €3.96

-9.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.39 €9.31

24.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.69 €8.68

-19.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$18.24 €16.34

-2.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.80 €3.41

-39.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.82 €2.53

-38.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.86 €3.46

-51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.65 €3.27

-29.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.84 €1.65

-1.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.33 €2.99

-40.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.73 €1.55

-15.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.14 €1.02

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.16 €5.52

6.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.99 €5.37

-6.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.47 €2.21

-44.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.29 €2.06

-6.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.83 €2.54

-17.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.01 €3.59

-3.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.78 €1.59

-39.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$33.21 €29.76

-50.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.52 €1.36

44.74%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.6K €24.7K

24.08%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.3K €35.2K

-1.42%

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

$161 €144

$105 €94.5

52.95%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$31.00 €27.78

-40.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$29.87 €26.77

9.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$61.2 €54.8

-27.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.26 €7.40

16.22%

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

$668 €598

$282 €252

137.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.3K €11.0K

43.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$57.7 €51.7

76.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$39.63 €35.51

12.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$83.6 €74.9

17.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$71.7 €64.2

72.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,112 €996

44.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$952 €853

24.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,740 €1,559

61.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,502 €1,346

34.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,949 €3,538

98.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,855 €2,558

60.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,339 €1,200

17.59%

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 Mellieha: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mellieha

$952 50% 20% $238

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mellieha

$324 17% 19.1% $52

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mellieha

$248 13% 2.1% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mellieha

$166 8.7% 21.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mellieha

$114 6% 31.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mellieha

$78 4.1% 21.9% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3% 61.6% $39

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 $1,112 in Mellieha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $64 in Mellieha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $324 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

10:40 10:40 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

10,087

💱 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 Mellieha 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Mellieha

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 Mellieha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,906 in Mellieha, so Mellieha is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,112 in Mellieha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,906 in Mellieha – Mellieha is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Mellieha 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.

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

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