Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zebbug

For one person, living is cheaper in Zebbug: $1,935 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Zebbug
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Zebbug Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Zebbug

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zebbug

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,935 in Zebbug.

Lisbon $2,223
Zebbug $1,935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,072 in Zebbug.

Lisbon $3,271
Zebbug $3,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,208 in Zebbug.

Lisbon $4,319
Zebbug $4,208

Living in Lisbon is roughly 15% more expensive than in Zebbug, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Zebbug 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$19.75 €17.57

-16.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$79.6 €70.8

-23.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.23 €6.43

55.88%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.08 €2.74

-0.65%

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

$2.26 €2.01

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.09 €0.97

58.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.59 €4.08

-26.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.76 €4.24

-28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.30 €1.16

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.39 €1.24

33.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.58 €3.18

-57.26%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.39 €3.91

-9.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.18 €9.06

25.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$11.79 €10.49

-32.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.45 €16.41

-8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.66 €3.26

-37.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.79 €2.48

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.85 €3.43

-51.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.68 €3.27

-30.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.93 €1.71

-3.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.44 €3.06

-41.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.27 €2.02

-36.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.51 €1.34

-45.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.16 €5.48

6.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.77 €5.14

-2.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.46 €2.19

-47.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.33 €2.07

-11.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.39 €2.13

-1.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.89 €3.46

2.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.82 €1.62

-40.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$32.86 €29.23

-49.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.46 €1.30

56.16%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$27.4K €24.4K

22.97%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$38.5K €34.2K

2.11%

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

$167 €149

$158 €140

6.08%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$31.32 €27.86

-39.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$29.42 €26.17

12.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$59.6 €53.0

-22.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$11.30 €10.05

-12.92%

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

$677 €602

$275 €245

146.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$12.5K €11.1K

35.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$56.3 €50.1

79.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$67.6 €60.1

-32.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$110 €97.4

-8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$130 €116

-5.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,232 €1,096

30.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$845 €752

41.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,763 €1,568

62.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,637 €1,456

21.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,894 €3,464

94.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,048 €2,711

41.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

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 11, 2026

Last update for Zebbug: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Zebbug

$845 43.7% 29.4% $352

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Zebbug

$341 17.6% 26.5% $71

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Zebbug

$263 13.6% 8.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Zebbug

$219 11.3% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zebbug

$163 8.5% 1.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Zebbug

$82 4.3% 25.2% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Zebbug

$23 * 1.2% 64.2% $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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,232 in Zebbug. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $80.0 in Zebbug for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $341 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇹 Zebbug

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,770

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Zebbug 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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 Zebbug: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zebbug differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,935 including rent). Zebbug is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $2,903 in Zebbug 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,232 in Zebbug. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,935 in Zebbug – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,935 in Zebbug versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Zebbug but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zebbug 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 Zebbug 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 Zebbug gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.