Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Marsascala

For one person, living is cheaper in Marsascala: $1,740 a month against $1,947 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Porto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Marsascala
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Marsascala Living Index

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Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,947

/mo nomad

Marsascala

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porto and in Marsascala

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

A single person spends $1,947 per month in Porto vs $1,740 in Marsascala, rent included.

Porto $1,947
Marsascala $1,740

A couple spends around $2,889 per month in Porto vs $2,641 in Marsascala, rent included.

Porto $2,889
Marsascala $2,641

A family of three spends $3,831 per month in Porto vs $3,542 in Marsascala, rent included.

Porto $3,831
Marsascala $3,542

Porto costs about 12% more than Marsascala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Porto and Marsascala sit above the global median – Porto by 43%, Marsascala by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.49 €12.09

$19.93 €17.85

-32.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.4

$85.0 €76.1

-33.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 €10.09

$13.58 €12.17

-17.08%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.46

$2.20 €1.97

25.00%

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

$2.33 €2.08

$2.45 €2.19

-4.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.38 €1.23

-0.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.94 €3.53

-15.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.92

$3.43 €3.07

27.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.22 €1.09

-5.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.86 €0.77

98.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 €1.29

$3.38 €3.03

-57.40%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.59

$4.18 €3.75

-4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.83 €10.60

$5.71 €5.11

107.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 €6.17

$6.22 €5.57

10.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.47 €14.75

$13.87 €12.42

18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.44 €3.08

-37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.49 €2.23

-36.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.22 €1.98

-15.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.22

$2.86 €2.57

-13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$2.26 €2.02

-21.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.85 €1.66

-1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$2.29 €2.05

-30.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.85 €0.76

-14.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.79

$6.60 €5.91

-2.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.98

$6.88 €6.16

-19.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.68 €1.51

-20.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.39 €2.14

11.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 €1.41

$2.20 €1.97

-28.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.59 €40.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 €3.47

$5.10 €4.57

-23.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 €0.77

$2.20 €1.97

-60.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 €14.86

$13.22 €11.84

25.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.51 €1.35

43.71%

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

$33.4K €30.0K

$31.3K €28.0K

6.97%

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

$36.6K €32.7K

$36.0K €32.2K

1.60%

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

$161 €145

$101 €90.5

59.71%

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

$14.69 €13.15

$20.54 €18.39

-28.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.94 €32.18

$27.61 €24.73

30.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 €37.92

$54.8 €49.07

-22.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.63

$21.95 €19.66

-30.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 €8.06

$10.24 €9.17

-12.11%

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

$563 €504

$225 €202

150.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,400

$4,512 €4,041

132.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.8

$88.1 €78.9

15.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.57 €29.17

$29.49 €26.41

10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 €85.3

$88.1 €78.9

8.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €93.1

$79.9 €71.6

30.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,177

$1,022 €916

28.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 €889

$841 €753

18.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 €2,061

$1,566 €1,402

46.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 €1,512

$1,294 €1,159

30.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,381 €4,819

$2,942 €2,635

82.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,520

$2,315 €2,074

69.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,601 €1,434

$2,101 €1,881

-23.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

2.9

26.55%

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

Last update for Porto: October 26, 2026

Last update for Marsascala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto

$992 51%

Marsascala

$841 48.3% 15.3% $151

Groceries & Markets

Porto

$257 13.2%

Marsascala

$253 14.5% 1.5% $3.9

Eating Out

Porto

$215 11%

Marsascala

$268 15.4% 25% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto

$212 10.9%

Marsascala

$149 8.6% 29.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Porto

$150 7.7%

Marsascala

$128 7.4% 14.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Porto

$60 3.1%

Marsascala

$75 4.3% 24.8% $15

Getting Around

Porto

$60 3.1%

Marsascala

$25 * 1.4% 58.6% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,314 in Porto versus $1,022 in Marsascala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Marsascala, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Porto versus $85 in Marsascala. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Porto vs $253 in Marsascala – so Marsascala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Porto

🇲🇹 Marsascala

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

11:34 11:34 AM

1 h ahead of Porto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,828

12,134

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Porto Marsascala 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto
Marsascala

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

Porto vs Marsascala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Porto is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,920 per month in Porto and $2,611 in Marsascala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Marsascala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,022 there versus $1,314 in Porto.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Porto and $85 in Marsascala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $563 per month in Porto and $225 in Marsascala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,947 in Porto and $1,740 in Marsascala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Marsascala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.