Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Sliema despite lower rent and utilities.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
Learn more

Sliema Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Sliema versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Sliema $2,396
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Sliema versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Sliema $3,794
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Sliema versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Sliema $5,191
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Sliema is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sliema 77% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.62

$16.50 €14.67

20.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.2

$61.3 €54.5

39.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.77

$11.27 €10.02

17.48%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.47

$3.06 €2.72

-9.48%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$2.26 €2.01

33.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.73 €1.54

24.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.09

$3.39 €3.02

35.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$3.40 €3.02

54.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.12 €1.00

20.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.86 €1.65

-26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$1.53 €1.36

177.12%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$3.96 €3.53

8.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$12.76 €11.35

-35.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$7.90 €7.02

29.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$16.97 €15.09

7.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$2.27 €2.02

86.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.75 €1.55

60.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$1.85 €1.64

90.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.57 €2.28

29.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.86 €1.65

30.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.02 €1.80

1.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.44 €1.28

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.82 €0.73

58.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$6.56 €5.83

4.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.19

$5.62 €5.00

43.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.28 €1.14

31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.07 €1.84

15.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.35 €2.09

-7.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

$44.18 €39.29

201.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.99 €3.55

41.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.09 €0.97

101.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €24.10

$16.64 €14.80

62.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.28 €2.03

-32.46%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

12.62%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$39.3K €34.9K

0.81%

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

$103 €91.9

$167 €149

-38.30%

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

$25.61 €22.77

$18.80 €16.72

36.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.84 €38.10

$33.09 €29.43

29.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.0

$46.01 €40.92

66.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

$19.19 €17.07

-17.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.07

$9.84 €8.75

3.66%

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

$366 €326

$677 €602

-45.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,911

$16.9K €15.0K

-34.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.0

$101 €90.0

-15.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.84 €36.33

$45.76 €40.70

-10.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.0

$100.0 €88.9

1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 €68.2

$123 €109

-37.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 €1,579

$1,614 €1,435

9.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,085

$1,197 €1,065

1.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 €2,591

$2,862 €2,545

1.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 €2,122

$1,990 €1,770

19.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 €4,761

$7,577 €6,739

-29.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,182

$4,307 €3,831

-16.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,614

$1,588 €1,412

14.29%

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 Sliema: 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

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 1.9% $23

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$326 13.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 17.5% $57

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 11.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 15.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$172 7.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 27.7% $48

Getting Around

Sliema

$158 6.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 60.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 21.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 32.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Sliema and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 14% 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: $86.0 in Sliema 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

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

09:50 9:50 AM

1 h behind Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Sliema
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

Sliema vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sliema and Lisbon differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,396 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Sliema, 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: $1,775 in Sliema versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $366 in Sliema versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Sliema. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Sliema. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, Sliema 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.