Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auckland and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,388 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,388

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Auckland versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Auckland $2,388
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,355 in Auckland versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Auckland $3,355
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,321 in Auckland versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Auckland $4,321
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Auckland is roughly 7% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.10 NZ$24.93

$16.50 €14.67

-14.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 NZ$116

$61.3 €54.5

7.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 NZ$15.68

$11.27 €10.03

-21.38%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.91

$3.06 €2.72

9.15%

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

$2.00 NZ$3.54

$2.26 €2.01

-11.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 NZ$3.05

$1.73 €1.54

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 NZ$11.74

$3.39 €3.02

95.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 NZ$11.59

$3.40 €3.02

92.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 NZ$3.46

$1.12 €1.00

75.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.86 €1.65

19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.21

$1.53 €1.36

18.95%

Eggs

$6.14 NZ$10.86

$3.96 €3.53

55.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 NZ$15.12

$12.76 €11.35

-32.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.73 NZ$17.21

$7.90 €7.02

23.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 NZ$30.54

$16.97 €15.09

1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 NZ$4.90

$2.27 €2.02

22.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.65

$1.75 €1.55

17.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 NZ$5.31

$1.85 €1.64

62.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 NZ$10.24

$2.57 €2.28

125.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.86 €1.65

14.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 NZ$2.75

$2.02 €1.80

-23.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 NZ$3.48

$1.44 €1.28

36.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 NZ$1.92

$0.82 €0.73

32.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.91 NZ$47.59

$6.56 €5.83

310.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.31 NZ$18.24

$5.62 €5.00

83.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 NZ$4.82

$1.28 €1.14

112.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 NZ$5.74

$2.07 €1.84

56.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 NZ$4.37

$2.35 €2.09

5.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$123 NZ$218

$44.18 €39.30

179.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 NZ$4.01

$3.99 €3.55

-43.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.09 €0.97

76.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.31 NZ$57.1

$16.64 €14.81

94.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$2.28 €2.03

-18.42%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

-25.11%

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

$22.0K NZ$38.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-44.13%

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

$179 NZ$316

$167 €149

6.79%

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

$26.64 NZ$47.12

$18.80 €16.72

41.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$90.8

$33.09 €29.43

55.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 NZ$79.9

$46.01 €40.93

-1.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 NZ$31.95

$19.19 €17.07

-5.89%

Cinema Ticket

$12.77 NZ$22.59

$9.84 €8.75

29.78%

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

$1,134 NZ$2,005

$677 €602

67.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

13.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.2 NZ$142

$101 €90.1

-20.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 NZ$70.8

$45.76 €40.70

-12.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 NZ$166

$100.0 €88.9

-6.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 NZ$193

$123 €109

-10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 NZ$2,281

$1,614 €1,436

-20.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 NZ$2,107

$1,197 €1,065

-0.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 NZ$3,906

$2,862 €2,545

-22.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 NZ$2,934

$1,990 €1,770

-16.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 NZ$13.2K

$7,577 €6,740

-1.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,346 NZ$9,455

$4,307 €3,831

24.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,881 NZ$5,095

$1,588 €1,412

81.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.85

39.48%

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

Last update for Auckland: 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

Auckland

$1.2K 49.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 0.5% $5.9

Groceries & Markets

Auckland

$338 14.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 20.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auckland

$257 10.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 14.6% $37

Eating Out

Auckland

$241 10.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 0.6% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Auckland

$146 6.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 14.3% $21

Getting Around

Auckland

$145 6.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 56.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Auckland

$71 3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 7.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,290 in Auckland and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays 81% 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: $66.0 in Auckland vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Auckland

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

21:30 9:30 PM

12 h behind Auckland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,463,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Auckland Lisbon 19,620 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Auckland
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

Auckland vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Auckland, 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: $1,290 in Auckland versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,134 in Auckland 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 25% higher in Auckland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,388 in Auckland, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Auckland. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Auckland 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 7% less than in Auckland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.