Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bujumbura and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bujumbura: $643 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Bujumbura
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Bujumbura Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bujumbura

🇧🇮 Burundi

$643

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $643 in Bujumbura versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Bujumbura $643
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,177 in Bujumbura versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Bujumbura $1,177
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in Bujumbura versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Bujumbura $1,711
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Bujumbura costs roughly 71% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bujumbura is 52% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 BIF 11.3K

$16.50 €14.67

-77.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 BIF 197.9K

$61.3 €54.5

8.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.72 BIF 11.1K

$11.27 €10.03

-66.99%

Cappuccino

$2.98 BIF 8,915

$3.06 €2.72

-2.61%

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

$1.72 BIF 5,127

$2.26 €2.01

-23.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 BIF 3,990

$1.73 €1.54

-22.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 BIF 6,612

$3.39 €3.02

-34.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 BIF 19.7K

$3.40 €3.02

94.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 BIF 3,057

$1.12 €1.00

-8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 BIF 5,929

$1.86 €1.65

6.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 BIF 5,933

$1.53 €1.36

30.07%

Eggs

$3.54 BIF 10.6K

$3.96 €3.53

-10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 BIF 25.2K

$12.76 €11.35

-33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 BIF 33.6K

$7.90 €7.02

42.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 BIF 33.6K

$16.97 €15.09

-33.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 BIF 17.7K

$2.27 €2.02

160.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 BIF 5,835

$1.85 €1.64

5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 BIF 4,890

$2.57 €2.28

-36.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 BIF 5,864

$0.82 €0.73

139.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 BIF 33.7K

$5.62 €5.00

100.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 BIF 6,340

$1.28 €1.14

65.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 BIF 11.7K

$2.07 €1.84

89.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 BIF 3,115

$2.35 €2.09

-55.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.48 BIF 88.1K

$44.18 €39.30

-33.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 BIF 15.4K

$3.99 €3.55

29.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 BIF 9,756

$1.09 €0.97

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 BIF 88.8K

$16.64 €14.81

78.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 BIF 4,089

$2.28 €2.03

-39.91%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

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

$39.3K €35.0K

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

$167 €149

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

$8.02 BIF 24.0K

$18.80 €16.72

-57.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 BIF 202.1K

$33.09 €29.43

104.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.48 BIF 79.1K

$46.01 €40.93

-42.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$1.63 BIF 4,861

$9.84 €8.75

-83.43%

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

$98.3 BIF 293.5K

$677 €602

-85.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,907 BIF 29.6M

$16.9K €15.1K

-41.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 BIF 1.3M

$1,614 €1,436

-73.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.1 BIF 272.1K

$1,197 €1,065

-92.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 BIF 4.0M

$2,862 €2,545

-52.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 BIF 812.4K

$1,990 €1,770

-86.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,996 BIF 6.0M

$7,577 €6,740

-73.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,634 BIF 4.9M

$4,307 €3,831

-62.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$375 BIF 1.1M

$1,588 €1,412

-76.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.17

3.85

268.05%

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

Last update for Bujumbura: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bujumbura

$278 * 43.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 3% $8.3

Eating Out

Bujumbura

$114 17.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 113% $129

Accommodation & Living

Bujumbura

$91 14.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 1214% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bujumbura

$76 * 11.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 190% $144

Getting Around

Bujumbura

$55 8.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 14.3% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bujumbura

$30 4.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 121% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Bujumbura

- * 0%

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

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 $430 in Bujumbura and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 324% 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 Bujumbura vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇮 Bujumbura

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

1 h behind Bujumbura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,859

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Burundian Franc BIF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD

10,000 BIF = 2.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BIF – Burundian Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇮 Burundian Franc (Fr)

Burundian Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,987 BIF (10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD). 1 EUR = 3,358 BIF (10,000 BIF = 2.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BIF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bujumbura Lisbon 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bujumbura
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

Bujumbura vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bujumbura wins on cost – living expenses run 246% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bujumbura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 324% lower in Lisbon. 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: $430 in Bujumbura versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $643 per month in Bujumbura versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 246% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bujumbura runs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $643 in Bujumbura versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bujumbura but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bujumbura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bujumbura delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $643 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bujumbura hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bujumbura 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 Bujumbura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 246% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.