Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ashburton
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,806
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Ashburton vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Ashburton $1,806
  • Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $2,897 per month in Ashburton vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Ashburton $2,897
  • Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Ashburton vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Ashburton $3,987
  • Lisbon $4,319

Ashburton is about 19% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ashburton and Lisbon sit above the global median – Ashburton by 34%, Lisbon by 65%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.93 NZ$24.63
$16.50 €14.67
-15.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.8 NZ$120
$61.3 €54.5
10.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.85 NZ$15.65
$11.27 €10.03
-21.47%
Cappuccino
$3.26 NZ$5.77
$3.06 €2.72
6.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 NZ$4.10
$2.26 €2.01
2.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 NZ$3.21
$1.73 €1.54
4.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.89 NZ$12.19
$3.39 €3.02
103.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.77 NZ$11.97
$3.40 €3.02
99.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 NZ$2.95
$1.12 €1.00
49.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 NZ$3.32
$1.86 €1.65
1.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 NZ$2.64
$1.53 €1.36
-1.96%
Eggs
$5.80 NZ$10.26
$3.96 €3.53
46.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.48 NZ$13.23
$12.76 €11.35
-41.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.35 NZ$16.53
$7.90 €7.02
18.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 NZ$23.96
$16.97 €15.09
-20.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.46 NZ$4.35
$2.27 €2.02
8.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 NZ$3.51
$1.75 €1.55
13.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.73 NZ$4.82
$1.85 €1.64
47.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.04 NZ$5.37
$2.57 €2.28
18.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 NZ$2.65
$1.86 €1.65
-19.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 NZ$2.59
$2.02 €1.80
-27.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.17 NZ$3.83
$1.44 €1.28
50.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 NZ$2.33
$0.82 €0.73
60.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.15 NZ$42.70
$6.56 €5.83
268.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.45 NZ$14.94
$5.62 €5.00
50.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.52 NZ$6.23
$1.28 €1.14
175.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 NZ$7.53
$2.07 €1.84
105.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.62 NZ$2.86
$2.35 €2.09
-31.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.4 NZ$132
$44.18 €39.30
68.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.48 NZ$4.38
$3.99 €3.55
-37.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.66 NZ$2.93
$1.09 €0.97
52.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.91 NZ$49.35
$16.64 €14.81
67.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.93 NZ$3.41
$2.28 €2.03
-15.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.7K NZ$43.7K
$33.7K €30.0K
-26.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K NZ$42.3K
$39.3K €35.0K
-39.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 NZ$276
$167 €149
-6.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.75 NZ$40.23
$18.80 €16.72
21.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.32 NZ$78.4
$33.09 €29.43
33.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.15 NZ$71.0
$46.01 €40.93
-12.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.19 €17.07
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.12 NZ$19.66
$9.84 €8.75
13.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$659 NZ$1,165
$677 €602
-2.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K NZ$38.8K
$16.9K €15.1K
29.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.9 NZ$102
$101 €90.1
-42.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.80 NZ$70.4
$45.76 €40.70
-13.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.6 NZ$176
$100.0 €88.9
-0.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 NZ$214
$123 €109
-1.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 NZ$1,792
$1,614 €1,436
-37.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$745 NZ$1,317
$1,197 €1,065
-37.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,417 NZ$2,506
$2,862 €2,545
-50.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,600 NZ$2,830
$1,990 €1,770
-19.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,546 NZ$8,039
$7,577 €6,740
-40.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,098 NZ$5,479
$4,307 €3,831
-28.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ashburton
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,588 €1,412
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.91
3.85
53.51%

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

Last update for Ashburton: 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
Ashburton
$745
Lisbon
$1.2K 60.7% $452
Groceries & Markets
Ashburton
$300
Lisbon
$269 10.1% $30
Eating Out
Ashburton
$242
Lisbon
$242 0.2% $0.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ashburton
$223
Lisbon
$219 1.6% $3.5
Clothing & Footwear
Ashburton
$143
Lisbon
$166 16.1% $23
Getting Around
Ashburton
$92
Lisbon
$63 31.3% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Ashburton
$62
Lisbon
$66 5.3% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Ashburton versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Ashburton
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
17:12 5:12 PM
05:12 5:12 AM
12 h behind Ashburton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,500
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ashburton Lisbon 19,430 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ashburton
  • 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
Ashburton vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ashburton and in Lisbon compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,806 in Ashburton, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Ashburton compared to Lisbon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,710 per month in Ashburton and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ashburton and Lisbon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ashburton and Lisbon?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,806 in Ashburton to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Ashburton or Lisbon safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Ashburton and Lisbon?
If budget matters most, go with Ashburton. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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