Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,367 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,367

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,367 in Centurion versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Centurion $1,367
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,206 in Centurion versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Centurion $2,206
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,045 in Centurion versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Centurion $3,045
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Centurion costs roughly 38% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 R 361

$16.65 €14.92

30.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R 664

$61.7 €55.3

-35.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 R 95.5

$11.36 €10.18

-49.38%

Cappuccino

$2.67 R 44.30

$2.97 €2.66

-10.10%

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

$0.97 R 16.05

$2.29 €2.05

-57.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.41

$1.74 €1.56

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 R 33.90

$3.40 €3.05

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R 40.14

$3.31 €2.97

-26.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.35

$1.16 €1.04

0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 20.13

$1.91 €1.71

-36.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.07

$1.51 €1.36

39.74%

Eggs

$2.93 R 48.73

$4.02 €3.60

-27.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 R 168

$12.94 €11.59

-22.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 R 110

$7.77 €6.97

-14.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 R 121

$17.76 €15.92

-59.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.91

$2.30 €2.06

-19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.93

$1.73 €1.55

7.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.49

$1.86 €1.66

15.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 34.08

$2.59 €2.32

-20.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.34

$1.82 €1.63

-12.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.58

$1.97 €1.76

-9.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 R 22.52

$1.47 €1.32

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.06

$0.72 €0.65

93.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 R 61.4

$6.58 €5.90

-43.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 R 98.7

$5.61 €5.02

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 R 26.26

$1.36 €1.22

16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.68

$2.14 €1.91

-2.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 R 39.18

$2.33 €2.09

1.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.4 R 1,617

$44.68 €40.04

117.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.30

$3.85 €3.45

-68.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 R 19.61

$1.07 €0.96

10.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 R 150

$16.46 €14.75

-45.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.93

$2.20 €1.97

-34.55%

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

$35.7K R 593.0K

$34.2K €30.6K

4.42%

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

$32.9K R 545.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

-15.15%

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

$136 R 2,263

$161 €144

-15.51%

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

$29.89 R 497

$18.41 €16.50

62.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.20 R 668

$32.74 €29.34

22.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.78 R 727

$44.55 €39.92

-1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 R 176

$9.60 €8.60

10.31%

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

$315 R 5,226

$668 €598

-52.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,416 R 73.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

-74.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 R 972

$102 €91.4

-42.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 R 718

$44.46 €39.85

-2.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 R 1,944

$98.5 €88.3

18.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 R 1,696

$124 €111

-17.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 R 5,571

$1,608 €1,441

-79.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,124

$1,190 €1,066

-69.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 R 9,643

$2,812 €2,520

-79.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 R 14.8K

$2,013 €1,804

-55.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$527 R 8,757

$7,839 €7,025

-93.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$605 R 10.0K

$4,576 €4,100

-86.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 R 39.3K

$1,575 €1,411

50.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

3.85

172.73%

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

Last update for Centurion: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centurion

$369 27%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 223% $821

Eating Out

Centurion

$246 18%

Lisbon

$243 11% 1.2% $3

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$223 16.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 22.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$206 15.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 2.9% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$144 10.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 14.9% $22

Getting Around

Centurion

$114 8.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 44.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$65 4.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 1.9% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $335 in Centurion and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40 in Centurion vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $272 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

2 h behind Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Centurion Lisbon 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Centurion
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

Centurion vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Centurion, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $335 in Centurion versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 54% less than in Centurion. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $315 in Centurion versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value at $1,367 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

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