Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mlava

For one person, living is cheaper in Mlava: $1,401 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Mlava
Learn more

Mlava Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Mlava

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mlava

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,401 in Mlava.

Lisbon $2,202
Mlava $1,401

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,989 in Mlava.

Lisbon $3,274
Mlava $1,989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,577 in Mlava.

Lisbon $4,346
Mlava $2,577

Living in Lisbon is roughly 57% more expensive than in Mlava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Mlava 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$10.04 zł 39.02

69.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$25.85 zł 100

140.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.68 zł 29.86

43.49%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.50 zł 9.70

24.80%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.85 zł 7.21

22.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.63 zł 6.34

6.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.57 zł 10.00

33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.73 zł 14.49

0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.04 zł 4.06

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.66 zł 6.44

12.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.91 zł 3.53

69.23%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.82 zł 14.84

6.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.77 zł 34.07

47.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.15 zł 27.77

10.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.70 zł 45.44

50.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.36 zł 5.27

66.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.68 zł 6.52

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.60 zł 6.23

18.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.20 zł 12.42

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.97 zł 3.78

90.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.36 zł 5.29

44.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.10 zł 4.27

31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.65 zł 2.53

18.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.80 zł 18.66

39.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.39 zł 24.82

-11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.05 zł 4.07

30.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.41 zł 5.48

49.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.09 zł 4.22

112.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$30.12 zł 117

47.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.13 zł 8.28

85.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.84 zł 3.27

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$9.89 zł 38.41

73.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.60 zł 6.23

36.87%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$30.9K zł 120.1K

9.29%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$27.7K zł 107.6K

38.16%

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

$164 €146

$278 zł 1,081

-41.12%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$6.20 zł 24.09

198.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$7.53 zł 29.27

337.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$37.75 zł 147

21.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$22.24 zł 86.4

-16.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.06 zł 19.66

92.69%

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

$684 €608

$328 zł 1,273

108.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,091 zł 19.8K

246.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$81.4 zł 316

27.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$36.08 zł 140

28.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$89.1 zł 346

11.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$76.4 zł 297

63.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$600 zł 2,332

164.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$505 zł 1,961

131.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$987 zł 3,833

188.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$805 zł 3,130

147.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,950 zł 11.5K

164.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,201 zł 8,550

100.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,021 zł 3,967

56.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.89

-44.12%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mlava: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Mlava

$505 36% 56.8% $664

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Mlava

$221 15.8% 19.1% $52

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Mlava

$168 12% 32.2% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Mlava

$292 20.8% 35.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Mlava

$127 9.1% 24.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Mlava

$48 3.4% 26.8% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mlava

$41 2.9% 35.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $600 in Mlava. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 57% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $26.00 in Mlava for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $221 per month, with Mlava cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇱 Mlava

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

01:29 1:29 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

31,130

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Mlava 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Mlava

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 Mlava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Mlava differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,401 including rent). Mlava is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $600 in Mlava. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $328 in Mlava. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,401 in Mlava versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mlava but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mlava the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Mlava are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mlava gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.