Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pawl Il-bahar and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pawl Il-bahar: $1,697 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pawl Il-bahar
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San Pawl Il-bahar Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,697

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

San Pawl Il-bahar $1,697
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,593 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

San Pawl Il-bahar $2,593
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

San Pawl Il-bahar $3,489
Lisbon $4,319

Living in San Pawl Il-bahar costs roughly 24% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Pawl Il-bahar 26% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$16.50 €14.67

19.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 €73.1

$61.3 €54.5

34.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$11.27 €10.03

0.09%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$3.06 €2.72

-15.69%

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

$2.47 €2.20

$2.26 €2.01

9.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.73 €1.54

12.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €4.00

$3.39 €3.02

32.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.60

$3.40 €3.02

52.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.86 €1.65

-37.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$1.53 €1.36

149.67%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.22

$3.96 €3.53

-8.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 €7.50

$12.76 €11.35

-33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.89

$7.90 €7.02

-1.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 €8.37

$16.97 €15.09

-44.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.27 €2.02

31.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.75 €1.55

17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$1.85 €1.64

58.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.57 €2.28

11.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.86 €1.65

-15.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.02 €1.80

-8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.44 €1.28

-17.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.82 €0.73

46.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 €5.63

$6.56 €5.83

-3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.38

$5.62 €5.00

47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.28 €1.14

16.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.07 €1.84

-3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.35 €2.09

17.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.09

$3.99 €3.55

43.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.09 €0.97

99.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 €23.58

$16.64 €14.81

59.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$2.28 €2.03

-35.53%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

13.74%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

0.71%

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

$58.9 €52.4

$167 €149

-64.86%

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

$20.63 €18.35

$18.80 €16.72

9.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.96 €35.54

$33.09 €29.43

20.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.65 €44.17

$46.01 €40.93

7.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.51 €12.02

$19.19 €17.07

-29.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.86

$9.84 €8.75

1.22%

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

$371 €330

$677 €602

-45.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,915

$16.9K €15.1K

-34.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 €20.06

$101 €90.1

-77.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 €29.83

$45.76 €40.70

-26.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 €85.8

$100.0 €88.9

-3.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 €67.1

$123 €109

-38.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 €872

$1,614 €1,436

-39.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €755

$1,197 €1,065

-29.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$2,862 €2,545

-42.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,199

$1,990 €1,770

-32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,441 €3,061

$7,577 €6,740

-54.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,550

$4,307 €3,831

-33.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 €1,485

$1,588 €1,412

5.18%

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 San Pawl Il-bahar: 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

San Pawl Il-bahar

$848 50%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 41.1% $349

Eating Out

San Pawl Il-bahar

$273 16.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 11.4% $31

Groceries & Markets

San Pawl Il-bahar

$256 15.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 5.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pawl Il-bahar

$119 7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 83.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

San Pawl Il-bahar

$103 6.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 62.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

San Pawl Il-bahar

$70 4.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 5.6% $3.9

Getting Around

San Pawl Il-bahar

$28 * 1.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 128% $35

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 $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Pawl Il-bahar pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $256 vs $269, with San Pawl Il-bahar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 San Pawl Il-bahar

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

1 h behind San Pawl Il-bahar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,046

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

San Pawl Il-bahar Lisbon 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

San Pawl Il-bahar
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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

San Pawl Il-bahar vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pawl Il-bahar and Lisbon differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,697 vs $2,223 including rent). San Pawl Il-bahar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar, 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: $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,697 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Pawl Il-bahar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes San Pawl Il-bahar 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, San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.