Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mellieha and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mellieha: $1,868 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,868 in Mellieha versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Mellieha $1,868
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,814 in Mellieha versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Mellieha $2,814
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,761 in Mellieha versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Mellieha $3,761
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Mellieha costs roughly 16% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mellieha 38% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €14.98

$16.50 €14.67

2.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 €57.4

$61.3 €54.5

5.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 €9.55

$11.27 €10.03

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$3.06 €2.72

-13.40%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$2.26 €2.01

7.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.73 €1.54

14.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 €3.49

$3.39 €3.02

15.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 €6.08

$3.40 €3.02

101.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.12 €1.00

22.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.86 €1.65

-26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.53 €1.36

124.84%

Eggs

$4.43 €3.94

$3.96 €3.53

11.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 €9.03

$12.76 €11.35

-20.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 €8.80

$7.90 €7.02

25.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.22 €16.21

$16.97 €15.09

7.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$2.27 €2.02

62.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.75 €1.55

60.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.85 €1.64

115.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.36

$2.57 €2.28

47.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.86 €1.65

2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.02 €1.80

67.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.44 €1.28

18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.82 €0.73

40.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$6.56 €5.83

-1.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$5.62 €5.00

6.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.28 €1.14

89.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.07 €1.84

14.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 €2.43

$2.35 €2.09

16.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$3.99 €3.55

-0.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.09 €0.97

68.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$16.64 €14.81

99.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.28 €2.03

-35.96%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

-16.48%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$39.3K €35.0K

-0.79%

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

$104 €92.3

$167 €149

-38.01%

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

$30.81 €27.40

$18.80 €16.72

63.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.75 €25.57

$33.09 €29.43

-13.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.3

$46.01 €40.93

30.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.51

$9.84 €8.75

-14.23%

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

$282 €250

$677 €602

-58.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-27.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 €50.9

$101 €90.1

-43.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.17 €34.85

$45.76 €40.70

-14.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 €73.2

$100.0 €88.9

-17.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 €64.7

$123 €109

-40.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 €1,006

$1,614 €1,436

-29.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 €814

$1,197 €1,065

-23.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 €1,591

$2,862 €2,545

-37.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,341

$1,990 €1,770

-24.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,935 €3,500

$7,577 €6,740

-48.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,756 €2,451

$4,307 €3,831

-36.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,350 €1,201

$1,588 €1,412

-14.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

3.85

5.19%

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

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mellieha

$915 49%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 30.8% $282

Groceries & Markets

Mellieha

$326 17.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 17.2% $56

Eating Out

Mellieha

$250 13.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 3% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mellieha

$163 8.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 34.3% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Mellieha

$113 6.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 47.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Mellieha

$77 4.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 14.4% $11

Getting Around

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 161% $39

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 $1,131 in Mellieha and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 18% 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: $65.0 in Mellieha vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

1 h behind Mellieha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,087

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mellieha Lisbon 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mellieha
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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

Mellieha vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mellieha and Lisbon differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,868 vs $2,223 including rent). Mellieha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% 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: $1,131 in Mellieha 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 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,868 per month in Mellieha versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,868 in Mellieha versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mellieha but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mellieha 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, Mellieha 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 Mellieha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.