Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Valletta and in Lisbon: $2,258 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

110

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,258

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,258 in Valletta versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Valletta $2,258
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Valletta versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Valletta $3,519
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,780 in Valletta versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Valletta $4,780
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Valletta is roughly 2% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Valletta 67% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.42 €19.95

$16.50 €14.67

35.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €78.0

$61.3 €54.5

43.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.76

$11.27 €10.03

17.39%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$3.06 €2.72

4.58%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$2.26 €2.01

7.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.73 €1.54

10.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.02

$3.39 €3.02

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$3.40 €3.02

93.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.86 €1.65

-22.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.53 €1.36

124.84%

Eggs

$4.28 €3.81

$3.96 €3.53

8.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 €9.07

$12.76 €11.35

-20.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.55

$7.90 €7.02

50.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 €15.96

$16.97 €15.09

5.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 €3.37

$2.27 €2.02

66.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.75 €1.55

55.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 €3.42

$1.85 €1.64

108.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.57 €2.28

43.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.02 €1.80

61.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.44 €1.28

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.39

$0.82 €0.73

91.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 €5.53

$6.56 €5.83

-5.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 €5.21

$5.62 €5.00

4.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.28 €1.14

92.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.07 €1.84

14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.35 €2.09

18.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.99 €3.55

-4.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.09 €0.97

68.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.08 €28.53

$16.64 €14.81

92.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.28 €2.03

-32.46%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

-17.13%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

0.25%

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

$155 €138

$167 €149

-7.39%

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

$31.40 €27.93

$18.80 €16.72

67.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.93 €25.73

$33.09 €29.43

-12.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 €51.6

$46.01 €40.93

25.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 €18.09

$19.19 €17.07

5.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 €10.21

$9.84 €8.75

16.67%

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

$278 €248

$677 €602

-58.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-26.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 €51.6

$101 €90.1

-42.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 €61.3

$45.76 €40.70

50.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$100.0 €88.9

13.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$123 €109

6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,238

$1,614 €1,436

-13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$1,197 €1,065

-6.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,250 €2,891

$2,862 €2,545

13.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,043 €1,817

$1,990 €1,770

2.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,247 €4,668

$7,577 €6,740

-30.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,557

$4,307 €3,831

-7.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,042 €1,816

$1,588 €1,412

28.59%

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 Valletta: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 49.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 7.4% $83

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$340 15.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 20.7% $71

Eating Out

Valletta

$316 14%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 23.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$215 9.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 1.8% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$167 7.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$81 3.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 18.8% $15

Getting Around

Valletta

$24 * 1.1%

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 $1,391 in Valletta and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Valletta pays 29% 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: $88.0 in Valletta vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

1 h behind Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

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

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

From you

Valletta
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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

Valletta vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valletta and Lisbon differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,258 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 29% higher in Valletta, 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: $1,391 in Valletta versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Valletta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,258 per month in Valletta versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,258 in Valletta, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Valletta. 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, Valletta 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 2% less than in Valletta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.