Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Lisbon $4,341

Durban is about 49% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Durban sits 17% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$16.65 €14.95

-52.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 652

$61.7 €55.5

-36.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$11.36 €10.20

-45.86%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.52

$2.97 €2.67

-8.08%

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

$1.12 R 18.58

$2.29 €2.06

-51.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.22

$1.74 €1.56

-47.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.48

$3.40 €3.06

-28.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.39

$3.31 €2.97

-25.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.51

$1.16 €1.04

0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.75

$1.91 €1.72

-47.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$1.51 €1.36

-0.66%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.49

$4.02 €3.61

-39.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$12.94 €11.62

-36.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.6

$7.77 €6.98

-31.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$17.76 €15.95

-59.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$2.30 €2.07

-15.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$1.73 €1.56

12.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.35

$1.86 €1.67

4.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.42

$2.59 €2.33

-36.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.81

$1.82 €1.64

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.97 €1.77

-25.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.41

$1.47 €1.32

-20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.96

$0.72 €0.65

58.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.7

$6.58 €5.91

-44.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.9

$5.61 €5.04

-15.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.42

$1.36 €1.22

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.57

$2.14 €1.92

-11.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.78

$2.33 €2.10

-23.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

$44.68 €40.14

-52.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$3.85 €3.46

-89.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$1.07 €0.96

-28.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$16.46 €14.79

-53.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.83

$2.20 €1.98

-32.27%

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

$35.5K R 591.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

3.80%

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

$32.3K R 538.6K

$38.7K €34.8K

-16.54%

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

$148 R 2,460

$161 €145

-8.43%

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

$35.49 R 591

$18.41 €16.54

92.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 657

$32.74 €29.41

20.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 517

$44.55 €40.02

-30.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$19.10 €17.16

-54.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$9.60 €8.62

-23.02%

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

$317 R 5,274

$668 €600

-52.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

-56.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 887

$102 €91.6

-47.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 508

$44.46 €39.94

-31.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,651

$98.5 €88.5

0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,417

$124 €111

-31.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,414

$1,608 €1,445

-72.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,240

$1,190 €1,069

-68.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$2,812 €2,526

-71.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$2,013 €1,808

-63.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

$7,839 €7,042

-89.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,419

$4,576 €4,110

-87.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

$1,575 €1,415

-18.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

3.85

205.97%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 218% $816

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 4.6% $10

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 40.3% $78

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 73.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 37.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 39.2% $18

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 93.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $445 in Durban 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 23% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $272 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

2 h behind Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Lisbon 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
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

Durban vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban 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 Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,130 in Durban and $2,210 in Lisbon. That’s a gap of about 96%.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Durban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Durban. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.