Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,069 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,069

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,069 per month in Bloemfontein vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,069
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $1,693 per month in Bloemfontein vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,693
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Bloemfontein vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Bloemfontein $2,318
Lisbon $4,346

Bloemfontein is about 51% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bloemfontein sits 21% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.32 R 203

$17.04 €15.15

-27.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.20 R 679

$62.3 €55.4

-33.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R 117

$11.02 €9.80

-35.39%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R 34.46

$3.12 €2.78

-33.01%

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

$1.43 R 23.52

$2.27 €2.02

-37.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.98

$1.74 €1.55

-37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 R 43.63

$3.42 €3.04

-22.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 R 46.23

$3.74 €3.33

-24.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R 17.28

$1.17 €1.04

-10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 R 17.49

$1.86 €1.66

-43.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.16

$1.54 €1.37

34.42%

Eggs

$2.19 R 36.03

$4.06 €3.61

-46.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 R 124

$12.91 €11.49

-41.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 R 82.7

$7.90 €7.03

-36.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.96 R 131

$17.64 €15.69

-54.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.44

$2.26 €2.01

-15.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.80

$1.75 €1.55

-10.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.85

$1.89 €1.68

-7.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.13

$2.56 €2.27

-40.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.09

$1.85 €1.64

-17.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.81

$1.97 €1.75

-5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R 19.07

$1.45 €1.29

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.92

$0.77 €0.69

25.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.58 R 42.46

$6.71 €5.97

-61.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 R 81.0

$5.67 €5.04

-13.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.42

$1.37 €1.22

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 R 23.54

$2.11 €1.88

-32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R 15.70

$2.32 €2.07

-59.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.2 R 1,255

$44.43 €39.52

71.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 R 18.37

$3.95 €3.51

-71.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.55

$2.19 €1.95

-31.96%

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

$37.1K R 610.6K

$33.8K €30.0K

9.70%

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

$28.7K R 472.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-24.99%

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

$78.3 R 1,290

$164 €146

-52.19%

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

$33.48 R 552

$18.48 €16.43

81.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.98 R 527

$32.96 €29.32

-2.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.07 R 528

$45.87 €40.80

-30.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 R 81.3

$9.75 €8.67

-49.33%

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

$194 R 3,196

$684 €608

-71.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 R 1,021

$104 €92.3

-40.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.84 R 689

$46.20 €41.09

-9.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 R 2,175

$99.7 €88.7

32.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,861

$125 €111

-9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 R 5,305

$1,589 €1,414

-79.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R 4,641

$1,169 €1,040

-75.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 R 8,653

$2,851 €2,536

-81.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 R 8,982

$1,993 €1,773

-72.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$480 R 7,907

$7,793 €6,932

-93.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$641 R 10.6K

$4,418 €3,930

-85.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,296 R 21.3K

$1,600 €1,423

-19.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.13

3.85

215.06%

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

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bloemfontein

$282 26.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 315% $887

Groceries & Markets

Bloemfontein

$190 17.8%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 43.9% $83

Eating Out

Bloemfontein

$174 16.3%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 42.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Bloemfontein

$157 14.7%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 7.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloemfontein

$144 13.5%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 49.7% $71

Getting Around

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 22.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bloemfontein

$42 3.9%

Lisbon

$65 3% 55.9% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $322 in Bloemfontein versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 23% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bloemfontein versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $273 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

12:36 12:36 PM

1 h behind Bloemfontein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Bloemfontein Lisbon 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bloemfontein
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

Bloemfontein vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 106% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,604 per month in Bloemfontein and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bloemfontein and $62.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bloemfontein, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Bloemfontein it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bloemfontein costs $1,069 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Bloemfontein. 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.