Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mdina and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mdina: $2,080 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Mdina
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Mdina Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mdina

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,080

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Mdina $2,080
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Mdina versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Mdina $3,064
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,048 in Mdina versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Mdina $4,048
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Mdina costs roughly 6% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mdina 54% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.17 €17.05

$16.50 €14.67

16.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$61.3 €54.5

39.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.90

$11.27 €10.03

18.72%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.47

$3.06 €2.72

-9.15%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$2.26 €2.01

39.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.73 €1.54

26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 €3.93

$3.39 €3.02

30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$3.40 €3.02

48.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.12 €1.00

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.86 €1.65

-26.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$1.53 €1.36

181.70%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.78

$3.96 €3.53

7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 €7.42

$12.76 €11.35

-34.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.26 €9.13

$7.90 €7.02

29.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 €16.44

$16.97 €15.09

8.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 €3.60

$2.27 €2.02

78.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.75 €1.55

58.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$1.85 €1.64

96.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.57 €2.28

31.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.86 €1.65

30.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.02 €1.80

0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.44 €1.28

57.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.82 €0.73

63.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$6.56 €5.83

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.23 €7.32

$5.62 €5.00

46.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.28 €1.14

39.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.07 €1.84

14.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.35 €2.09

8.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.99 €3.55

36.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.09 €0.97

102.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 €23.70

$16.64 €14.81

60.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.28 €2.03

-35.53%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

11.62%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-1.05%

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

$104 €92.5

$167 €149

-37.94%

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

$25.81 €22.96

$18.80 €16.72

37.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.04 €37.39

$33.09 €29.43

27.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$46.01 €40.93

53.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$9.84 €8.75

0.61%

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

$370 €329

$677 €602

-45.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,820

$16.9K €15.1K

-34.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.6

$101 €90.1

-13.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 €35.78

$45.76 €40.70

-12.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$100.0 €88.9

-1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 €70.4

$123 €109

-35.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,040

$1,614 €1,436

-27.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 €930

$1,197 €1,065

-12.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 €1,383

$2,862 €2,545

-45.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,374

$1,990 €1,770

-22.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,164

$7,577 €6,740

-53.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,055 €2,717

$4,307 €3,831

-29.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,467 €1,305

$1,588 €1,412

-7.61%

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 Mdina: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mdina

$1K 50.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 14.5% $152

Groceries & Markets

Mdina

$328 15.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 17.9% $59

Eating Out

Mdina

$280 13.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 13.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mdina

$172 8.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 27.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Mdina

$137 6.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 21.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mdina

$90 4.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 27.2% $25

Getting Around

Mdina

$27 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 136% $36

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 $1,170 in Mdina and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 8% 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: $85.0 in Mdina vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mdina

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

1 h behind Mdina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193

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

Mdina Lisbon 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mdina
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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

Mdina vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mdina and Lisbon differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,080 vs $2,223 including rent). Mdina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% 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: $1,170 in Mdina versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,080 per month in Mdina versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,080 in Mdina versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mdina but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mdina 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, Mdina 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 Mdina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.