Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Invercargill and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,425 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,425

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,425 per month in Invercargill vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Invercargill $1,425
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,122 per month in Invercargill vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Invercargill $2,122
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,819 per month in Invercargill vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Invercargill $2,819
Lisbon $4,341

Invercargill is about 36% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Invercargill and Lisbon sit above the global median – Invercargill by 5%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.31 NZ$25.41

$16.65 €14.91

-14.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 NZ$110

$61.7 €55.3

0.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.28 NZ$14.71

$11.36 €10.17

-27.11%

Cappuccino

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$2.97 €2.66

6.73%

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

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$2.29 €2.05

-27.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NZ$3.79

$1.74 €1.56

22.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.79 NZ$4.96

$3.40 €3.05

-17.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.08

$3.31 €2.96

-13.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.06

$1.16 €1.04

49.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$1.91 €1.71

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 NZ$3.15

$1.51 €1.35

17.22%

Eggs

$5.78 NZ$10.25

$4.02 €3.60

43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 NZ$15.40

$12.94 €11.59

-33.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 NZ$15.58

$7.77 €6.96

13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.05 NZ$21.39

$17.76 €15.91

-32.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 NZ$4.80

$2.30 €2.06

17.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 NZ$4.26

$1.73 €1.55

38.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 NZ$4.63

$1.86 €1.66

40.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 NZ$6.10

$2.59 €2.32

32.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 NZ$5.84

$1.82 €1.63

80.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 NZ$2.95

$1.97 €1.76

-15.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NZ$4.09

$1.47 €1.32

56.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NZ$1.86

$0.72 €0.65

45.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.03 NZ$37.34

$6.58 €5.90

219.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.42 NZ$14.95

$5.61 €5.02

50.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 NZ$5.14

$1.36 €1.22

113.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.85

$2.14 €1.91

53.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 NZ$2.60

$2.33 €2.09

-37.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 NZ$3.98

$3.85 €3.45

-41.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.07 €0.96

76.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.04 NZ$49.78

$16.46 €14.74

70.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.81

$2.20 €1.97

-28.18%

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

$24.1K NZ$42.8K

$34.2K €30.6K

-29.48%

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

$18.6K NZ$33.0K

$38.7K €34.7K

-51.95%

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

$113 NZ$201

$161 €144

-29.76%

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

$32.59 NZ$57.9

$18.41 €16.49

77.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.59 NZ$75.6

$32.74 €29.32

30.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.26 NZ$50.2

$44.55 €39.90

-36.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 NZ$25.07

$19.10 €17.10

-26.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 NZ$15.73

$9.60 €8.60

-7.71%

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

$597 NZ$1,059

$668 €598

-10.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 NZ$105

$102 €91.4

-42.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.27 NZ$62.6

$44.46 €39.82

-20.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 NZ$125

$98.5 €88.2

-28.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 NZ$139

$124 €111

-36.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 NZ$1,085

$1,608 €1,440

-61.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 NZ$977

$1,190 €1,066

-53.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 NZ$1,482

$2,812 €2,519

-70.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$769 NZ$1,365

$2,013 €1,803

-61.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,776 NZ$10.3K

$7,839 €7,021

-26.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,013 NZ$8,899

$4,576 €4,098

9.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,756 NZ$4,894

$1,575 €1,411

75.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

3.85

74.55%

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

Last update for Invercargill: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Invercargill

$550 38.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 116% $640

Groceries & Markets

Invercargill

$301 21.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 9.5% $29

Eating Out

Invercargill

$212 14.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 14.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Invercargill

$188 13.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 12.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Invercargill

$109 7.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 51.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Invercargill

$46 3.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 38.6% $18

Getting Around

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 261% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $611 in Invercargill 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 75% higher in Invercargill, 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 $62 in Invercargill versus $62 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $301 in Invercargill vs $272 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

13 h behind Invercargill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,200

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Invercargill Lisbon 19,130 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Invercargill
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

Invercargill vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 55% more than Invercargill, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,138 per month in Invercargill 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 Invercargill, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,425 in Invercargill and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Invercargill about 36% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,425 in Invercargill and $2,210 in Lisbon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.