Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Mosta: $2,053 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Mosta
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Mosta Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mosta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,053

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mosta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,053 in Mosta.

Lisbon $2,210
Mosta $2,053

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,060 in Mosta.

Lisbon $3,275
Mosta $3,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,067 in Mosta.

Lisbon $4,341
Mosta $4,067

Living in Lisbon is roughly 8% more expensive than in Mosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Mosta 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$16.64 €14.91

0.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$88.8 €79.6

-30.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$12.53 €11.23

-9.34%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.45 €2.19

21.22%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.00 €1.79

14.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.10 €0.99

58.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.86 €2.56

18.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.15 €4.62

-35.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.36 €1.22

-14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.47 €1.32

29.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.41 €3.05

-55.72%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.31 €2.97

21.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.15 €9.09

27.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$12.00 €10.76

-35.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$11.20 €10.04

58.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.75 €3.36

-38.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.68 €2.40

-35.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.98 €1.77

-6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.69 €3.31

-29.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.64 €1.47

10.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.51 €2.25

-21.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.28 €2.05

-35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.63 €0.56

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.27 €5.62

4.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.93 €5.31

-5.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.26 €1.13

7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.27 €2.03

-5.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.76 €2.48

-15.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.79 €3.40

1.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.81 €1.62

-40.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$28.01 €25.10

-41.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.48 €1.33

48.65%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.5K €24.6K

24.37%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.2K €34.3K

1.27%

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

$161 €144

$117 €105

38.23%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$24.41 €21.88

-24.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$29.77 €26.68

9.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$73.7 €66.1

-39.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$33.60 €30.11

-43.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.24 €10.07

-14.59%

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

$668 €598

$272 €243

145.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.4K €11.1K

41.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$57.6 €51.6

77.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$68.5 €61.4

-35.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$114 €102

-13.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$128 €114

-3.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,248 €1,118

28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,070 €959

11.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,947 €1,745

44.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,614 €1,446

24.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,784 €1,599

-11.72%

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 Mosta: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mosta

$1.1K 52.1% 10.1% $120

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mosta

$290 14.1% 6.4% $17

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mosta

$237 11.6% 2.3% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mosta

$171 8.3% 19.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mosta

$166 8.1% 0.2% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mosta

$96 4.7% 50.9% $32

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mosta

$24 * 1.2% 62.2% $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 $1,248 in Mosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mosta pays 13% 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 $89 in Mosta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $290 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Mosta

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

03:12 3:12 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

20,241

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

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Lisbon
Mosta

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 Mosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,053 in Mosta, so Mosta is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% 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 $1,248 in Mosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 6% 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 $2,053 in Mosta – Mosta is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mosta 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 Mosta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.