Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canterbury, New Zealand and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Canterbury vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Canterbury $915
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Canterbury vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Canterbury $1,521
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,127 per month in Canterbury vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Canterbury $2,127
Lisbon $4,341

Canterbury is about 59% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Canterbury sits 33% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.95 NZ$24.79

$16.65 €14.92

-16.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$61.7 €55.3

3.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 NZ$20.48

$11.36 €10.18

1.41%

Cappuccino

$3.06 NZ$5.45

$2.97 €2.66

3.03%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$2.29 €2.05

-9.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 NZ$3.75

$1.74 €1.56

21.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 NZ$7.01

$3.40 €3.05

15.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 NZ$10.83

$3.31 €2.97

83.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 NZ$3.94

$1.16 €1.04

91.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.91 €1.71

1.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.51 €1.36

11.92%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.84

$4.02 €3.60

37.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 NZ$14.83

$12.94 €11.59

-35.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 NZ$16.30

$7.77 €6.97

18.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.34

$17.76 €15.92

-7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.17

$2.30 €2.06

26.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$1.73 €1.55

27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.86

$1.86 €1.66

77.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 NZ$9.23

$2.59 €2.32

100.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.82 €1.63

1.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$1.97 €1.76

-5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$1.47 €1.32

58.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.06

$0.72 €0.65

-18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.43

$6.58 €5.90

220.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 NZ$16.46

$5.61 €5.02

65.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 NZ$5.71

$1.36 €1.22

136.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.13

$2.14 €1.91

-43.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 NZ$10.19

$3.85 €3.45

48.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.19 NZ$50.1

$16.46 €14.75

71.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.85

$2.20 €1.97

-27.27%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.7K

$34.2K €30.6K

-16.65%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$38.7K €34.7K

-39.91%

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

$113 NZ$201

$161 €144

-29.87%

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

$29.09 NZ$51.7

$18.41 €16.50

58.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 NZ$91.9

$32.74 €29.34

57.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 NZ$20.37

$9.60 €8.60

19.38%

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

$590 NZ$1,049

$668 €598

-11.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$107

$102 €91.4

-41.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.35 NZ$39.73

$44.46 €39.85

-49.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 NZ$162

$98.5 €88.3

-7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NZ$247

$124 €111

12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 NZ$1,597

$1,608 €1,441

-44.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,733 NZ$4,859

$1,575 €1,411

73.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.90%

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

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Canterbury

$320 35%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 15% $48

Eating Out

Canterbury

$232 25.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 4.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canterbury

$194 21.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 9.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Canterbury

$141 15.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 18% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 178% $41

Getting Around

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 1003% $57

Accommodation & Living

Canterbury

- * 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 central one-bedroom costs $898 in Canterbury versus $1,608 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 74% higher in Canterbury, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

01:03 1:03 AM

13 h behind Canterbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canterbury Lisbon 19,410 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Canterbury
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

Canterbury vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $915 in Canterbury, $2,210 in Lisbon – Canterbury comes out roughly 59% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Canterbury and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canterbury, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $898 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Canterbury – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.