Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marsascala and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Marsascala: $1,737 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Marsascala
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Marsascala Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Marsascala

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,737

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Marsascala 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 Marsascala and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,737 in Marsascala versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Marsascala $1,737
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,651 in Marsascala versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Marsascala $2,651
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,564 in Marsascala versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Marsascala $3,564
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Marsascala costs roughly 22% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Marsascala 29% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.22 €17.10

$16.50 €14.67

16.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.3 €77.7

$61.3 €54.5

42.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.60 €12.10

$11.27 €10.03

20.67%

Cappuccino

$2.29 €2.04

$3.06 €2.72

-25.16%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$2.26 €2.01

7.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.73 €1.54

-23.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.39 €3.02

16.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.03

$3.40 €3.02

0.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.12 €1.00

9.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.86 €1.65

-56.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.53 €1.36

113.07%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.86

$3.96 €3.53

9.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 €4.84

$12.76 €11.35

-57.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.26 €5.57

$7.90 €7.02

-20.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 €12.25

$16.97 €15.09

-18.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.27 €2.02

43.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.75 €1.55

40.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.85 €1.64

22.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.57 €2.28

14.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.86 €1.65

36.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.02 €1.80

0.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.44 €1.28

56.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.82 €0.73

9.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.56

$6.56 €5.83

-4.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 €6.09

$5.62 €5.00

21.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.28 €1.14

27.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$2.07 €1.84

13.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.35 €2.09

-8.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 €4.59

$3.99 €3.55

29.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.09 €0.97

106.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.63 €12.12

$16.64 €14.81

-18.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.28 €2.03

-35.96%

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

$31.0K €27.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

-8.06%

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

$35.2K €31.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-10.39%

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

$100 €89.0

$167 €149

-40.27%

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

$20.94 €18.63

$18.80 €16.72

11.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.06 €24.96

$33.09 €29.43

-15.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 €49.48

$46.01 €40.93

20.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.26 €19.80

$19.19 €17.07

16.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$9.84 €8.75

3.66%

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

$223 €198

$677 €602

-67.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,441 €3,950

$16.9K €15.1K

-73.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €76.6

$101 €90.1

-14.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.06 €26.74

$45.76 €40.70

-34.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 €76.6

$100.0 €88.9

-13.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.6 €71.7

$123 €109

-34.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 €896

$1,614 €1,436

-37.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 €751

$1,197 €1,065

-29.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,364

$2,862 €2,545

-46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 €1,169

$1,990 €1,770

-33.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,842 €2,528

$7,577 €6,740

-62.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 €2,049

$4,307 €3,831

-46.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,115 €1,881

$1,588 €1,412

33.22%

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 Marsascala: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marsascala

$844 48.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 41.9% $353

Eating Out

Marsascala

$264 15.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 8.1% $21

Groceries & Markets

Marsascala

$253 14.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 6.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marsascala

$149 8.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 47.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Marsascala

$127 7.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 30.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Marsascala

$76 4.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 13.6% $10

Getting Around

Marsascala

$25 * 1.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 152% $38

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 $1,007 in Marsascala and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marsascala pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87.0 in Marsascala vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $253 vs $269, with Marsascala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Marsascala

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

1 h behind Marsascala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,134

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

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

From you

Marsascala
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

Marsascala vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marsascala and Lisbon differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,737 vs $2,223 including rent). Marsascala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Marsascala, 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: $1,007 in Marsascala versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,737 per month in Marsascala versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,737 in Marsascala versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Marsascala but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Marsascala 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, Marsascala and Lisbon 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 Marsascala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.