Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San Gwann

For one person, living is cheaper in San Gwann: $2,037 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in San Gwann
Learn more

San Gwann Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

San Gwann

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in San Gwann

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,037 in San Gwann.

Lisbon $2,210
San Gwann $2,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,105 in San Gwann.

Lisbon $3,275
San Gwann $3,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,172 in San Gwann.

Lisbon $4,341
San Gwann $4,172

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, San Gwann 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$21.53 €19.30

-22.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$68.0 €61.0

-9.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$13.44 €12.05

-15.48%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.91 €2.60

2.06%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.07 €1.86

10.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.11 €1.00

56.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.54 €4.07

-25.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.52 €4.05

-26.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.31 €1.17

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.40 €1.25

36.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.58 €3.21

-57.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.22 €3.78

-4.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.21 €9.15

26.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$11.76 €10.54

-33.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$17.66 €15.83

0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.89 €3.48

-40.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.76 €2.47

-37.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.93 €3.52

-52.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.66 €3.28

-29.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.86 €1.66

-2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.20 €1.97

-10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.18 €1.96

-32.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.56 €1.40

-53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.37 €5.71

3.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.44 €4.87

3.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.40 €2.15

-43.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.38 €2.14

-10.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.25 €2.02

3.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$14.65 €13.13

204.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.89 €3.48

-1.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.81 €1.62

-40.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$32.04 €28.71

-48.63%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

24.85%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.8K €30.2K

14.73%

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

$161 €144

$115 €103

39.83%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$30.72 €27.53

-40.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$35.87 €32.14

-8.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$56.5 €50.7

-21.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$18.36 €16.45

4.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$9.97 €8.93

-3.71%

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

$668 €598

$281 €252

137.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.1K €9,972

58.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$54.3 €48.63

87.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$62.3 €55.8

-28.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$79.6 €71.3

23.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$127 €114

-2.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,208 €1,083

33.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$969 €868

22.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,283 €2,045

23.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,660 €1,487

21.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$5,659 €5,071

38.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,828 €2,534

61.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,745 €1,563

-9.72%

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 San Gwann: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

San Gwann

$969 47.6% 18.6% $221

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

San Gwann

$336 16.5% 23.3% $63

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

San Gwann

$292 14.3% 20.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

San Gwann

$182 8.9% 14.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

San Gwann

$145 7.1% 12.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

San Gwann

$76 3.8% 20% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

San Gwann

$37 1.8% 42.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,208 in San Gwann. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Gwann pays 11% 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 $68 in San Gwann for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $336 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 San Gwann

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

04:47 4:47 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

12,523

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Lisbon
San Gwann

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 San Gwann: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,037 in San Gwann, so San Gwann is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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 $1,208 in San Gwann. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $281 in San Gwann. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. San Gwann is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 San Gwann are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.