Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $992 per month in East London vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

East London $992
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in East London vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

East London $1,611
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,230 per month in East London vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

East London $2,230
Lisbon $4,341

East London is about 55% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

East London sits 27% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 R 151

$16.65 €14.85

-45.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.23 R 636

$61.7 €55.1

-38.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 R 92.7

$11.36 €10.13

-50.97%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 34.08

$2.97 €2.65

-30.98%

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

$1.04 R 17.33

$2.29 €2.04

-54.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.70

$1.74 €1.55

-56.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.70

$3.40 €3.04

-20.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 R 53.4

$3.31 €2.95

-3.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.70

$1.16 €1.03

1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.54

$1.91 €1.71

-54.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.98

$1.51 €1.35

-4.64%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.82

$4.02 €3.59

-43.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 R 139

$12.94 €11.54

-35.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 R 91.4

$7.77 €6.94

-29.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 R 112

$17.76 €15.85

-62.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.31

$2.30 €2.06

-36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.44

$1.73 €1.55

-11.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.17

$1.86 €1.66

-12.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.86

$2.59 €2.31

-44.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.89

$1.82 €1.62

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.74

$1.97 €1.76

-27.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.49

$1.47 €1.31

-20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.82

$0.72 €0.65

31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 R 48.08

$6.58 €5.87

-56.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R 78.2

$5.61 €5.00

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.80

$1.36 €1.22

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.38

$2.14 €1.91

-54.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 R 24.53

$2.33 €2.08

-36.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.85 R 779

$44.68 €39.86

4.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.31

$3.85 €3.43

-68.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.59

$1.07 €0.95

-57.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 139

$16.46 €14.69

-49.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.45

$2.20 €1.96

-38.64%

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

$34.7K R 576.8K

$34.2K €30.5K

1.40%

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

$29.3K R 487.2K

$38.7K €34.5K

-24.38%

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

$122 R 2,034

$161 €144

-24.15%

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

$32.64 R 543

$18.41 €16.43

77.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.35 R 738

$32.74 €29.21

35.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.51 R 657

$44.55 €39.74

-11.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 R 75.6

$9.60 €8.56

-52.71%

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

$177 R 2,947

$668 €596

-73.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,438 R 90.5K

$17.6K €15.7K

-69.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R 946

$102 €91.0

-44.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 R 546

$44.46 €39.67

-26.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 R 1,216

$98.5 €87.9

-25.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,583

$124 €110

-23.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,831

$1,608 €1,435

-81.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R 4,169

$1,190 €1,062

-78.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 9,028

$2,812 €2,509

-80.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 R 10.5K

$2,013 €1,796

-68.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,664 R 27.7K

$1,575 €1,405

5.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

185.71%

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

Last update for East London: 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

East London

$251 25.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 375% $939

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$199 20.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 6.6% $13

Groceries & Markets

East London

$180 18.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 51.6% $93

Eating Out

East London

$141 14.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 71.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$116 11.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 43% $50

Getting Around

East London

$56 5.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 12.4% $7

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 31.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in East London 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 6% higher in East London, 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 $38 in East London versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $272 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

00:45 12:45 AM

2 h behind East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

East London Lisbon 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $992 in East London, $2,210 in Lisbon – East London comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,487 per month in East London 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 East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $177 per month in East London and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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