Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballito and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballito: $618 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Ballito
Learn more

Ballito Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Ballito

🇿🇦 South Africa

$618

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $618 in Ballito versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Ballito $618
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $972 in Ballito versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Ballito $972
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,327 in Ballito versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Ballito $1,327
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Ballito costs roughly 72% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ballito is 55% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.02 R 101

$16.65 €14.91

-63.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.25 R 656

$61.7 €55.3

-36.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 R 97.7

$11.36 €10.17

-48.50%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.42

$2.97 €2.66

-10.44%

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

$1.13 R 18.91

$2.29 €2.05

-50.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.74 €1.56

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R 33.04

$3.40 €3.05

-41.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R 41.68

$3.31 €2.96

-24.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R 16.68

$1.16 €1.04

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.58

$1.91 €1.71

-51.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.63

$1.51 €1.35

-2.65%

Eggs

$2.44 R 40.75

$4.02 €3.60

-39.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 R 120

$12.94 €11.59

-44.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 R 80.8

$7.77 €6.96

-37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.30 R 122

$17.76 €15.91

-58.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.50

$2.30 €2.06

-33.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R 31.11

$1.73 €1.55

7.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.86 €1.66

-21.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.71

$2.59 €2.32

-33.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 R 17.11

$1.82 €1.63

-43.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 23.22

$1.97 €1.76

-29.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.22

$1.47 €1.32

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 R 20.05

$0.72 €0.65

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 R 58.6

$6.58 €5.90

-46.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.85 R 81.1

$5.61 €5.02

-13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.63

$1.36 €1.22

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 R 30.65

$2.14 €1.91

-14.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.84

$3.85 €3.45

-89.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.65

$1.07 €0.96

-28.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 R 123

$16.46 €14.74

-55.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.75

$2.20 €1.97

-40.91%

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

$35.1K R 586.6K

$34.2K €30.6K

2.69%

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

$33.5K R 559.9K

$38.7K €34.7K

-13.46%

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

$147 R 2,448

$161 €144

-9.12%

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

$22.16 R 370

$18.41 €16.49

20.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.37 R 591

$32.74 €29.32

8.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 R 103

$9.60 €8.60

-35.83%

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

$306 R 5,118

$668 €598

-54.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,455 R 124.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

-57.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.38 R 691

$102 €91.4

-59.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.89 R 499

$44.46 €39.82

-32.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 R 986

$98.5 €88.2

-40.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 R 1,376

$124 €111

-33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$448 R 7,478

$1,608 €1,440

-72.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 R 25.2K

$2,812 €2,519

-46.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,479 R 24.7K

$1,575 €1,411

-6.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

3.85

205.97%

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

Last update for Ballito: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballito

$204 33%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 4.1% $8.3

Groceries & Markets

Ballito

$181 29.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 50.1% $91

Eating Out

Ballito

$121 19.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 101% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Ballito

$96 15.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 73.4% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Ballito

$12 * 2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 417% $51

Getting Around

Ballito

$4.2 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 1405% $59

Accommodation & Living

Ballito

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

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 $448 in Ballito and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 7% 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: $39 in Ballito vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $272 per month, with Ballito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Ballito

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

22:14 10:14 PM

2 h behind Ballito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,718

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ballito Lisbon 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballito
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

Ballito vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballito is about 72% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Ballito. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $448 in Ballito versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $306 in Ballito versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ballito – a meal for two runs $39 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $618 in Ballito versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ballito but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ballito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ballito is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ballito and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ballito wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.