Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and St. Julians

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in St. Julians: $2,202 and $2,257 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in St. Julians
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St. Julians Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

St. Julians

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in St. Julians

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,257 in St. Julians.

Lisbon $2,202
St. Julians $2,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,588 in St. Julians.

Lisbon $3,274
St. Julians $3,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,919 in St. Julians.

Lisbon $4,346
St. Julians $4,919

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 2% less than in St. Julians, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, St. Julians 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$20.12 €17.90

-15.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$99.0 €88.1

-37.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.09 €9.87

-0.63%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.27 €2.91

-4.59%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.06 €2.72

-25.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.90 €1.69

-8.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.57 €4.06

-25.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.56 €4.06

-17.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.24 €1.10

-5.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.75 €1.56

6.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.38 €3.00

-54.44%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.54 €4.04

-10.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$18.83 €16.75

-31.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$10.64 €9.46

-25.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$17.95 €15.97

-1.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.03 €2.70

-25.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.05 €1.83

-14.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.88 €2.56

-34.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.99 €3.55

-35.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.43 €2.16

-23.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.39 €2.12

-17.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.91 €1.70

-24.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.89 €0.79

-13.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.77 €6.02

-0.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.21 €6.42

-21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.62 €1.44

-15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.35 €2.09

-10.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.55 €2.27

-9.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.59 €4.09

-13.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.65 €1.47

-36.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$39.13 €34.80

-56.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.54 €1.37

42.21%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$27.5K €24.5K

22.81%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$39.5K €35.2K

-3.21%

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

$164 €146

$76.7 €68.2

113.71%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$35.28 €31.38

-47.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$35.16 €31.27

-6.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$94.5 €84.1

-51.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$39.97 €35.56

-53.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$11.39 €10.13

-14.40%

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

$684 €608

$618 €550

10.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$13.9K €12.4K

26.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$146 €130

-28.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$55.1 €49.02

-16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$121 €108

-17.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$164 €146

-23.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,391 €1,237

14.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,124 €999

4.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,555 €2,273

11.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$2,042 €1,816

-2.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,727 €5,094

36.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,143 €2,796

40.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,426 €2,158

-34.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.22

19.57%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for St. Julians: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

St. Julians

$1.1K 49.8% 3.9% $45

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

St. Julians

$342 15.1% 25.1% $69

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

St. Julians

$285 12.6% 15.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

St. Julians

$147 6.5% 31.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

St. Julians

$219 9.7% 29.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

St. Julians

$117 5.2% 79.4% $52

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

St. Julians

$23 * 1% 63.3% $40

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,391 in St. Julians. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Julians pays 52% 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 $99.0 in St. Julians for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $342 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 St. Julians

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,792

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon St. Julians 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
St. Julians

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 St. Julians: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and St. Julians differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $2,257 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in St. Julians. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,391 in St. Julians. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in St. Julians. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $2,257 in St. Julians – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,257 in St. Julians, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in St. Julians. 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 St. Julians 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 3% less than in St. Julians. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.