Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alberton and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Alberton: $1,206 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Alberton
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Alberton Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Alberton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,206

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Alberton versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Alberton $1,206
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,989 in Alberton versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Alberton $1,989
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,772 in Alberton versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Alberton $2,772
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Alberton costs roughly 45% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alberton is 11% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 R 147

$16.65 €14.91

-47.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.42 R 608

$61.7 €55.3

-41.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 R 82.2

$11.36 €10.17

-56.69%

Cappuccino

$2.27 R 38.00

$2.97 €2.66

-23.57%

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

$1.02 R 17.03

$2.29 €2.05

-55.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.92

$1.74 €1.56

-52.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 R 39.70

$3.40 €3.05

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 R 41.17

$3.31 €2.96

-25.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 20.05

$1.16 €1.04

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.78

$1.91 €1.71

-41.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.55

$1.51 €1.35

21.19%

Eggs

$2.31 R 38.58

$4.02 €3.60

-42.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.41 R 140

$12.94 €11.59

-35.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 R 80.6

$7.77 €6.96

-37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 R 101

$17.76 €15.91

-65.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.50

$2.30 €2.06

-23.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.51

$1.73 €1.55

-8.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.83

$1.86 €1.66

-3.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R 27.13

$2.59 €2.32

-37.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.93

$1.82 €1.63

-41.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.48

$1.97 €1.76

-40.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R 19.32

$1.47 €1.32

-21.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.46

$0.72 €0.65

29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 R 52.8

$6.58 €5.90

-51.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.10 R 51.8

$5.61 €5.02

-44.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.21

$1.36 €1.22

-6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.99

$2.14 €1.91

-38.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 R 51.6

$2.33 €2.09

32.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 R 1,999

$44.68 €40.01

167.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.81

$3.85 €3.45

-92.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.63

$1.07 €0.96

-28.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.46 R 242

$16.46 €14.74

-12.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.40

$2.20 €1.97

-36.36%

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

$30.1K R 502.7K

$34.2K €30.6K

-11.99%

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

$33.2K R 554.2K

$38.7K €34.7K

-14.35%

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

$151 R 2,524

$161 €144

-6.30%

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

$36.94 R 617

$18.41 €16.49

100.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.25 R 606

$32.74 €29.32

10.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.04 R 669

$44.55 €39.90

-10.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 R 249

$19.10 €17.10

-21.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 R 100

$9.60 €8.60

-37.60%

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

$151 R 2,528

$668 €598

-77.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,775 R 29.7K

$17.6K €15.8K

-89.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 R 890

$102 €91.4

-47.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 R 529

$44.46 €39.82

-28.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 R 1,562

$98.5 €88.2

-5.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 R 1,401

$124 €111

-32.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 R 7,149

$1,608 €1,440

-73.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 R 6,038

$1,190 €1,066

-69.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 R 15.3K

$2,812 €2,519

-67.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$980 R 16.4K

$2,013 €1,803

-51.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$726 R 12.1K

$7,839 €7,021

-90.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$597 R 9,976

$4,576 €4,098

-86.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,097 R 35.0K

$1,575 €1,411

33.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

3.85

194.55%

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

Last update for Alberton: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alberton

$361 30%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 229% $829

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alberton

$224 18.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 5.3% $12

Groceries & Markets

Alberton

$177 14.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 53.6% $95

Eating Out

Alberton

$137 11.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 77.7% $106

Getting Around

Alberton

$136 11.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 53.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Alberton

$118 9.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 40.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Alberton

$52 4.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 22.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $428 in Alberton and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alberton pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Alberton vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $272 per month, with Alberton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Alberton

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

2 h behind Alberton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,536

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alberton Lisbon 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alberton
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

Alberton vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alberton is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Alberton, 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: $428 in Alberton versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Alberton – a meal for two runs $36 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,206 in Alberton versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alberton but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Alberton 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.