Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in George versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

George $1,105
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in George versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

George $1,834
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in George versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

George $2,563
Lisbon $4,319

Living in George costs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: George is 18% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 R 179

$16.50 €14.67

-34.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 R 680

$61.3 €54.5

-32.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 R 79.3

$11.27 €10.03

-57.32%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.66

$3.06 €2.72

-31.37%

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

$1.06 R 17.47

$2.26 €2.01

-53.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.63

$1.73 €1.54

-55.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 44.76

$3.39 €3.02

-19.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 R 52.8

$3.40 €3.02

-5.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.55

$1.12 €1.00

0.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$1.86 €1.65

-44.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$1.53 €1.36

-6.54%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.05

$3.96 €3.53

-29.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$12.76 €11.35

-34.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 R 89.8

$7.90 €7.02

-31.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 R 110

$16.97 €15.09

-60.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.49

$2.27 €2.02

-29.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.19

$1.75 €1.55

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.33

$1.85 €1.64

-16.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.44

$2.57 €2.28

-32.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.89

$1.86 €1.65

-12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.41

$2.02 €1.80

-29.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.53

$1.44 €1.28

-13.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.99

$0.82 €0.73

18.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$6.56 €5.83

-51.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 R 77.8

$5.62 €5.00

-16.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.09

$1.28 €1.14

-4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.48

$2.07 €1.84

-16.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.35 €2.09

-34.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.77 R 457

$44.18 €39.30

-37.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.50

$3.99 €3.55

-85.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.67

$1.09 €0.97

-56.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 138

$16.64 €14.81

-49.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.03

$2.28 €2.03

-46.49%

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

$29.7K R 488.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

-11.88%

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

$29.4K R 483.7K

$39.3K €35.0K

-25.28%

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

$121 R 1,995

$167 €149

-27.72%

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

$17.44 R 287

$18.80 €16.72

-7.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.19 R 745

$33.09 €29.43

36.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 R 490

$46.01 €40.93

-35.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 R 175

$19.19 €17.07

-44.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 R 100

$9.84 €8.75

-38.21%

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

$137 R 2,263

$677 €602

-79.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,187 R 85.5K

$16.9K €15.1K

-69.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,177

$101 €90.1

-29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 R 625

$45.76 €40.70

-17.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,845

$100.0 €88.9

11.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 R 1,413

$123 €109

-30.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,956

$1,614 €1,436

-73.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,010

$1,197 €1,065

-69.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 R 12.7K

$2,862 €2,545

-72.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 R 15.3K

$1,990 €1,770

-53.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$871 R 14.4K

$7,577 €6,740

-88.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$4,307 €3,831

-84.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,364 R 22.5K

$1,588 €1,412

-14.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

3.85

183.64%

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

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George

$365 33%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 228% $832

Groceries & Markets

George

$186 16.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 44.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$184 16.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 19.4% $36

Eating Out

George

$154 13.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 57.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

George

$138 12.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 20.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 56.7% $24

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 71.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $422 in George and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $41.00 in George vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $269 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

1 h behind George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

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

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

George Lisbon 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

George
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

George vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $422 in George versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,105 per month in George versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,105 in George versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes George the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, George is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, George 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 George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.