Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sliema

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Sliema despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
Learn more

Sliema Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sliema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,396 in Sliema.

Lisbon $2,223
Sliema $2,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,794 in Sliema.

Lisbon $3,271
Sliema $3,794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $5,191 in Sliema.

Lisbon $4,319
Sliema $5,191

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 7% less than in Sliema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Sliema 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$19.81 €17.63

-16.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$85.6 €76.2

-28.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$13.24 €11.77

-14.88%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.77 €2.47

10.47%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.02 €2.69

-25.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.16 €1.92

-19.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.60 €4.09

-26.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.24 €4.66

-35.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.35 €1.20

-17.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.37 €1.22

35.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$4.24 €3.77

-63.92%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.30 €3.82

-7.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$8.27 €7.35

54.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$10.25 €9.12

-22.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.21 €16.20

-6.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.24 €3.77

-46.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.81 €2.50

-37.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.52 €3.13

-47.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.32 €2.95

-22.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.42 €2.16

-23.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.05 €1.82

-1.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.34 €2.08

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.30 €1.16

-36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.83 €6.08

-3.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$8.09 €7.19

-30.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.68 €1.50

-23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.40 €2.14

-13.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.17 €1.93

8.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$133 €118

-66.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.64 €5.02

-29.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.20 €1.96

-50.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$27.09 €24.10

-38.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.54 €1.37

48.05%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$37.9K €33.7K

-11.20%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$39.6K €35.2K

-0.80%

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

$167 €149

$103 €91.9

62.08%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$25.61 €22.78

-26.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$42.84 €38.10

-22.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$76.4 €68.0

-39.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$15.86 €14.11

21.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$10.20 €9.08

-3.53%

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

$677 €602

$366 €326

84.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$11.1K €9,912

51.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$85.5 €76.0

18.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$40.84 €36.33

12.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$101 €90.0

-1.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$76.7 €68.2

60.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,775 €1,579

-9.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,220 €1,085

-1.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,913 €2,591

-1.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,385 €2,122

-16.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$5,353 €4,762

41.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,578 €3,183

20.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,815 €1,614

-12.50%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Sliema: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9% 1.9% $23

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Sliema

$326 13.6% 21.2% $57

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Sliema

$286 11.9% 18% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Sliema

$172 7.2% 21.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sliema

$137 5.7% 17.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Sliema

$97 4% 47.4% $31

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Sliema

$158 6.6% 152% $95

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,775 in Sliema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 14% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $86.0 in Sliema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $326 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Sliema

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

16,854

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Lisbon
Sliema

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 Sliema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sliema differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,396 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Sliema. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,775 in Sliema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $366 in Sliema. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Sliema. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Sliema 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.