Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brakpan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Brakpan: $1,103 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Brakpan
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Brakpan Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Brakpan

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,103

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Brakpan versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Brakpan $1,103
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,655 in Brakpan versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Brakpan $1,655
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,207 in Brakpan versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Brakpan $2,207
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Brakpan costs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brakpan is 18% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.98 R 147

$16.86 €15.02

-46.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.49 R 565

$61.0 €54.4

-43.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 R 88.5

$10.98 €9.78

-50.82%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.18

$3.05 €2.72

-21.64%

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

$1.04 R 16.97

$2.28 €2.03

-54.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.81

$1.68 €1.50

-53.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 37.04

$3.44 €3.06

-34.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 R 42.10

$3.91 €3.48

-34.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.58

$1.15 €1.02

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 R 18.81

$1.89 €1.68

-39.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 R 22.11

$1.50 €1.34

-10.00%

Eggs

$2.31 R 37.89

$4.12 €3.67

-43.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 R 173

$13.01 €11.59

-18.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 R 75.9

$8.04 €7.17

-42.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.91 R 130

$17.89 €15.94

-55.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.50

$2.27 €2.02

-31.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.16

$1.74 €1.55

-8.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.42

$1.82 €1.62

-24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.55

$2.69 €2.39

-46.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.79

$1.77 €1.57

-21.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R 20.73

$1.94 €1.73

-34.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 R 16.25

$1.46 €1.30

-32.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.35

$0.76 €0.68

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 52.8

$6.66 €5.93

-51.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.69 R 76.9

$5.64 €5.02

-16.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.88

$1.29 €1.15

-20.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.63

$2.14 €1.91

-35.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 R 27.11

$2.30 €2.05

-28.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 R 13.77

$3.98 €3.55

-78.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 R 11.02

$0.64 €0.57

4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R 166

$18.93 €16.86

-46.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.01

$2.28 €2.03

-32.89%

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

$37.2K R 608.7K

$33.4K €29.7K

11.32%

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

$33.7K R 552.4K

$38.5K €34.3K

-12.44%

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

$151 R 2,476

$158 €141

-4.46%

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

$33.06 R 542

$17.54 €15.62

88.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 R 860

$31.18 €27.78

68.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.47 R 532

$44.64 €39.77

-27.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 R 176

$18.98 €16.91

-43.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R 128

$9.58 €8.53

-18.79%

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

$204 R 3,341

$674 €600

-69.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,811 R 95.2K

$18.7K €16.7K

-68.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 R 866

$102 €91.0

-48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.79 R 472

$45.90 €40.89

-37.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 R 1,776

$102 €91.0

6.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 R 1,551

$122 €109

-22.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$399 R 6,531

$1,641 €1,461

-75.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 R 5,815

$1,187 €1,058

-70.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 R 8,012

$2,825 €2,516

-82.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 R 10.4K

$2,018 €1,798

-68.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$668 R 10.9K

$7,836 €6,980

-91.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$577 R 9,455

$4,701 €4,188

-87.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

3.82

185.86%

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

Last update for Brakpan: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brakpan

$355 32.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 235% $832

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brakpan

$237 21.5%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 12.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Brakpan

$184 16.7%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 48.8% $90

Eating Out

Brakpan

$140 12.7%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 74.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Brakpan

$128 11.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 30.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Brakpan

$48 4.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 32.8% $16

Getting Around

Brakpan

$11 * 1%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 458% $50

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 $399 in Brakpan and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Brakpan vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $275 per month, with Brakpan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Brakpan

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

2 h behind Brakpan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

305,692

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brakpan Lisbon 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brakpan
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

Brakpan vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brakpan wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brakpan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,655 in Brakpan and $3,309 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $399 in Brakpan versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $204 in Brakpan versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brakpan – a meal for two runs $34 versus $61 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Brakpan is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.