Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Paola

For one person, living is cheaper in Paola: $1,975 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
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Lisbon Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Paola
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Paola Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Paola

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Paola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,975 in Paola.

Lisbon $2,210
Paola $1,975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,102 in Paola.

Lisbon $3,275
Paola $3,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,230 in Paola.

Lisbon $4,341
Paola $4,230

Living in Lisbon is roughly 12% more expensive than in Paola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Paola 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$19.64 €17.64

-15.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$86.4 €77.6

-28.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.67 €12.28

-16.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.77 €2.49

7.22%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.03 €2.72

-24.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.25 €2.02

-22.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.56 €4.10

-25.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.23 €4.70

-36.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.35 €1.21

-14.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.31 €1.17

45.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.38 €3.94

-65.53%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.24 €3.81

-5.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.23 €7.39

57.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.57 €9.50

-26.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$18.33 €16.47

-3.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.08 €3.66

-43.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.69 €2.42

-35.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.71 €3.33

-49.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.32 €2.98

-21.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.28 €2.05

-20.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.93 €1.73

2.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.36 €2.12

-37.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.28 €1.15

-43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.61 €5.94

-0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.09 €7.27

-30.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.70 €1.53

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.43 €2.19

-11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.10 €1.89

10.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.63 €5.06

-31.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.28 €2.05

-53.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$26.30 €23.63

-37.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.52 €1.37

44.74%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$37.7K €33.9K

-9.42%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$39.4K €35.4K

-1.77%

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

$161 €145

$103 €92.7

56.28%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$25.76 €23.14

-28.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$42.10 €37.82

-22.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$68.0 €61.1

-34.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.92 €8.91

-3.23%

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

$668 €600

$367 €330

81.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.2K €10.1K

56.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$87.8 €78.9

16.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$41.31 €37.11

7.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$99.6 €89.5

-1.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$77.2 €69.4

60.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$981 €881

63.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$941 €845

26.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,812 €1,628

55.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,720 €1,545

17.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,912 €3,514

100.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,789 €2,505

64.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

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 Paola: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Paola

$941 47.6% 21% $250

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Paola

$327 16.5% 20% $54

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Paola

$286 14.5% 17.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Paola

$171 8.7% 19.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Paola

$138 7% 17% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Paola

$88 4.5% 37.9% $24

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Paola

$25 * 1.3% 59.8% $38

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 $981 in Paola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $86 in Paola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $327 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Paola

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Paola 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Paola

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 Paola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Paola differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,975 including rent). Paola is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,962 in Paola to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $981 in Paola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 17% 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 $1,975 in Paola – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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