Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillcrest and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Hillcrest vs $2,206 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,081
Lisbon $2,206

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Hillcrest vs $3,276 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,686
Lisbon $3,276

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Hillcrest vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hillcrest $2,292
Lisbon $4,346

Hillcrest is about 51% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hillcrest sits 20% below the global median, while Lisbon is 63% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 R 129

$16.86 €15.00

-53.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 R 629

$61.0 €54.3

-37.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 R 98.6

$10.98 €9.77

-45.26%

Cappuccino

$2.71 R 44.53

$3.05 €2.71

-11.15%

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

$1.14 R 18.70

$2.28 €2.03

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.71

$1.68 €1.50

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.23

$3.44 €3.06

-28.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 41.05

$3.91 €3.48

-36.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.28

$1.15 €1.02

2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.13

$1.89 €1.68

-48.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.59

$1.50 €1.34

Eggs

$2.32 R 38.10

$4.12 €3.66

-43.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 134

$13.01 €11.57

-37.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 82.8

$8.04 €7.16

-37.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 119

$17.89 €15.92

-59.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.22

$2.27 €2.02

-43.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.60

$1.74 €1.55

10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.93

$1.82 €1.62

7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.43

$2.69 €2.39

-35.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.77 €1.57

-17.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.67

$1.94 €1.72

-25.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.77

$1.46 €1.30

-17.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.71

$0.76 €0.68

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 60.8

$6.66 €5.92

-44.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 78.7

$5.64 €5.02

-14.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.10

$1.29 €1.15

9.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.19

$2.14 €1.90

-8.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.19

$2.30 €2.05

-33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.14

$3.98 €3.54

-88.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.61

$0.64 €0.57

10.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 R 126

$18.93 €16.84

-59.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.84

$2.28 €2.03

-36.40%

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

$35.2K R 577.7K

$33.4K €29.7K

5.50%

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

$33.1K R 542.3K

$38.5K €34.3K

-14.17%

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

$153 R 2,511

$158 €141

-3.26%

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

$35.61 R 584

$17.54 €15.61

103.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.04 R 641

$31.18 €27.75

25.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 R 541

$44.64 €39.73

-26.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 R 222

$18.98 €16.89

-28.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 120

$9.58 €8.52

-23.90%

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

$310 R 5,092

$674 €599

-53.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 R 121.9K

$18.7K €16.7K

-60.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 R 846

$102 €90.9

-49.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.96 R 459

$45.90 €40.85

-39.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 R 1,591

$102 €91.0

-5.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 R 1,299

$122 €109

-35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R 6,179

$1,641 €1,460

-77.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,785

$1,187 €1,057

-70.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.5K

$2,825 €2,514

-77.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.0K

$2,018 €1,796

-63.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.5K

$7,836 €6,973

-90.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,430

$4,701 €4,183

-87.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

3.82

208.38%

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

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hillcrest

$353 32.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 237% $835

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hillcrest

$228 21.1%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 9.1% $21

Groceries & Markets

Hillcrest

$189 17.5%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 45% $85

Eating Out

Hillcrest

$139 12.9%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 76.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Hillcrest

$115 10.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 45.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Hillcrest

$48 4.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 34.1% $16

Getting Around

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 498% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Hillcrest versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest versus $61 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $275 – making Hillcrest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

2 h behind Hillcrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hillcrest Lisbon 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hillcrest
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

Hillcrest vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,081 in Hillcrest, $2,206 in Lisbon – Hillcrest comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,622 per month in Hillcrest and $3,309 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest and $61 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hillcrest, where all-in costs run around $1,081, than in Lisbon at $2,206. In Hillcrest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hillcrest costs $1,081 versus $2,206 in Lisbon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.