Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Valletta

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Valletta: $2,210 and $2,243 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 Valletta
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Valletta Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,243

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Valletta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,243 in Valletta.

Lisbon $2,210
Valletta $2,243

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,657 in Valletta.

Lisbon $3,275
Valletta $3,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,071 in Valletta.

Lisbon $4,341
Valletta $5,071

Monthly costs are close between Lisbon and Valletta; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Valletta 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$22.53 €20.17

-26.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$91.1 €81.6

-32.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$13.37 €11.97

-15.03%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.08 €2.76

-3.57%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.35 €2.10

-2.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.02 €1.81

-13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.67 €5.07

-40.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$6.88 €6.16

-51.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.37 €1.23

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.41 €1.26

35.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.47 €3.10

-56.48%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.24 €3.79

-5.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.39 €9.31

24.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$12.21 €10.93

-36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$17.98 €16.10

-1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.88 €3.47

-40.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.75 €2.46

-37.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.91 €3.50

-52.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.74 €3.35

-30.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.90 €1.70

-4.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.33 €2.98

-40.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.27 €2.04

-35.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.49 €1.34

-51.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.23 €5.58

5.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.09 €5.46

-7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.47 €2.21

-44.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.35 €2.10

-8.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.21 €1.98

5.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.99 €3.57

-3.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.74 €1.56

-38.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$32.29 €28.92

-49.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.49 €1.33

47.65%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.9K €25.0K

22.62%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$39.0K €34.9K

-0.63%

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

$161 €144

$156 €140

3.32%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$31.08 €27.84

-40.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$29.31 €26.25

11.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$61.7 €55.3

-27.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$20.63 €18.48

-7.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.18 €10.01

-14.13%

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

$668 €598

$275 €246

142.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.3K €11.0K

43.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$57.4 €51.4

77.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$68.2 €61.0

-34.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$111 €99.4

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$128 €115

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,389 €1,244

15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,096 €982

8.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$3,390 €3,036

-17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$2,312 €2,070

-12.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$5,400 €4,836

45.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$3,943 €3,531

16.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,031 €1,819

-22.43%

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 Valletta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Valletta

$1.1K 48.9% 7.9% $94

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Valletta

$344 15.3% 26.2% $71

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Valletta

$317 14.1% 30.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Valletta

$216 9.7% 1.9% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Valletta

$164 7.3% 1.1% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Valletta

$84 3.8% 31.9% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Valletta

$22 * 1% 65.9% $42

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 $1,389 in Valletta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valletta pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $91 in Valletta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $344 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Valletta

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,700 Capital

💱 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 Valletta 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Valletta

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 Valletta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $1,389 in Valletta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $275 in Valletta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Valletta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Valletta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.