Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,871 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marsa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

137

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,871

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Marsa and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Marsa and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,871 in Marsa versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Marsa $2,871
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,976 in Marsa versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Marsa $3,976
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,081 in Marsa versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Marsa $5,081
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Marsa is roughly 30% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Marsa 111% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.41 €17.31

$16.65 €14.85

16.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €76.0

$61.7 €55.1

38.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 €12.19

$11.36 €10.13

20.33%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.40

$2.97 €2.65

-9.43%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$2.29 €2.04

-0.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.74 €1.55

30.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 €4.08

$3.40 €3.04

34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.25

$3.31 €2.95

-23.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.16 €1.03

17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.91 €1.71

-32.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 €3.76

$1.51 €1.35

179.47%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.87

$4.02 €3.59

7.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 €7.52

$12.94 €11.54

-34.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.14

$7.77 €6.94

31.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 €16.48

$17.76 €15.85

4.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 €3.81

$2.30 €2.06

85.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.73 €1.55

55.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 €3.17

$1.86 €1.66

90.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.59 €2.31

26.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.82 €1.62

23.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.97 €1.76

-5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.47 €1.31

54.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.72 €0.65

81.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.11

$6.58 €5.87

4.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 €7.46

$5.61 €5.00

49.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.36 €1.22

19.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.14 €1.91

8.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 €5.13

$3.85 €3.43

49.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.07 €0.95

114.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.56 €23.69

$16.46 €14.69

61.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.20 €1.96

-33.18%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$34.2K €30.5K

9.32%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$38.7K €34.5K

-0.96%

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

$103 €92.2

$161 €144

-35.88%

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

$24.97 €22.28

$18.41 €16.43

35.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.87 €38.25

$32.74 €29.21

30.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 €9.09

$9.60 €8.56

6.15%

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

$372 €332

$668 €596

-44.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €9,953

$17.6K €15.7K

-36.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.8

$102 €91.0

-15.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 €35.59

$44.46 €39.67

-10.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.4

$98.5 €87.9

2.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 €69.1

$124 €110

-37.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,481 €2,213

$1,608 €1,435

54.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 €1,718

$1,190 €1,062

61.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 €2,026

$2,812 €2,509

-19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,758 €2,460

$2,013 €1,796

36.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,229 €2,881

$1,575 €1,405

105.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

3.85

-24.68%

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

Last update for Marsa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marsa

$1.9K 67.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 38.2% $735

Groceries & Markets

Marsa

$326 11.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 16.3% $53

Eating Out

Marsa

$275 9.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 11.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsa

$171 6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 24% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Marsa

$137 4.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 21% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Marsa

$20 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 213% $43

Getting Around

Marsa

$17 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 268% $46

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 $2,481 in Marsa and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsa pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Marsa vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsa

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

1 h behind Marsa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Marsa
Lisbon

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

Marsa vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,871 in Marsa and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Marsa is about 2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,481 in Marsa versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Marsa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,871 per month in Marsa versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Lisbon is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Marsa and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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