Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dunedin: $1,794 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,794 in Dunedin versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Dunedin $1,794
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,661 in Dunedin versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Dunedin $2,661
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,527 in Dunedin versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Dunedin $3,527
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Dunedin costs roughly 19% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dunedin 33% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 NZ$24.43

$16.50 €14.67

-16.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 NZ$109

$61.3 €54.5

0.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 NZ$19.54

$11.27 €10.03

-1.95%

Cappuccino

$3.28 NZ$5.80

$3.06 €2.72

7.19%

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

$2.03 NZ$3.58

$2.26 €2.01

-10.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NZ$3.61

$1.73 €1.54

17.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.92

$3.39 €3.02

98.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$3.40 €3.02

84.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.12 €1.00

90.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$1.86 €1.65

5.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.53 €1.36

9.80%

Eggs

$5.75 NZ$10.16

$3.96 €3.53

45.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 NZ$15.10

$12.76 €11.35

-33.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 NZ$16.72

$7.90 €7.02

19.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.19

$16.97 €15.09

-2.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.30

$2.27 €2.02

32.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$1.75 €1.55

36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 NZ$5.56

$1.85 €1.64

69.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NZ$8.72

$2.57 €2.28

91.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$1.86 €1.65

-0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$2.02 €1.80

-9.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 NZ$4.13

$1.44 €1.28

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.04

$0.82 €0.73

-28.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.71 NZ$36.63

$6.56 €5.83

215.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 NZ$15.75

$5.62 €5.00

58.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$1.28 €1.14

141.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.12

$2.07 €1.84

-42.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 NZ$1.96

$2.35 €2.09

-52.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 NZ$117

$44.18 €39.30

49.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 NZ$9.66

$3.99 €3.55

36.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.62 NZ$48.84

$16.64 €14.81

65.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$2.28 €2.03

-22.81%

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

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

-24.08%

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

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-36.66%

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

$111 NZ$196

$167 €149

-33.75%

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

$28.15 NZ$49.78

$18.80 €16.72

49.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$92.9

$33.09 €29.43

58.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.73 NZ$84.4

$46.01 €40.93

3.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 NZ$18.33

$9.84 €8.75

5.28%

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

$570 NZ$1,009

$677 €602

-15.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 NZ$104

$101 €90.1

-41.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 NZ$61.1

$45.76 €40.70

-24.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 NZ$164

$100.0 €88.9

-7.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 NZ$234

$123 €109

7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 NZ$1,545

$1,614 €1,436

-45.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NZ$1,324

$1,197 €1,065

-37.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 NZ$2,617

$2,862 €2,545

-48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 NZ$2,031

$1,990 €1,770

-42.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,200 NZ$3,890

$4,307 €3,831

-48.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,425 NZ$4,288

$1,588 €1,412

52.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

3.85

83.64%

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

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dunedin

$749 41.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 59.8% $448

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$321 17.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 16% $51

Eating Out

Dunedin

$246 13.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 1.3% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 10.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 14.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$143 8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 16.2% $23

Getting Around

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 17% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 4% $2.8

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 $873 in Dunedin and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Dunedin vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

18:53 6:53 PM

12 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Lisbon 19,220 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
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

Dunedin vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dunedin and Lisbon differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,794 vs $2,223 including rent). Dunedin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Dunedin, 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: $873 in Dunedin versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dunedin runs roughly 49% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $570 in Dunedin versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,794 in Dunedin versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dunedin but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dunedin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Dunedin 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 Dunedin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.