Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,430 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,430 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,430
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $2,960 per month in Johannesburg vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,960
Lisbon $4,319

Johannesburg is about 36% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Johannesburg and Lisbon sit above the global median – Johannesburg by 6%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 R 197

$16.50 €14.67

-27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.02 R 709

$61.3 €54.5

-29.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R 117

$11.27 €10.03

-36.82%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.72

$3.06 €2.72

-21.24%

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

$1.17 R 19.21

$2.26 €2.01

-48.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.30

$1.73 €1.54

-46.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R 37.03

$3.39 €3.02

-33.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.49

$3.40 €3.02

-18.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.59

$1.12 €1.00

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 R 21.12

$1.86 €1.65

-31.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.53 €1.36

12.42%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.34

$3.96 €3.53

-33.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$12.76 €11.35

-33.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.0

$7.90 €7.02

-30.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R 145

$16.97 €15.09

-48.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.89

$2.27 €2.02

-6.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$1.75 €1.55

2.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.47

$1.85 €1.64

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.99

$2.57 €2.28

-17.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.61

$1.86 €1.65

-6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.09

$2.02 €1.80

-9.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 R 23.53

$1.44 €1.28

-0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.99

$0.82 €0.73

62.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 R 54.3

$6.56 €5.83

-49.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 R 97.3

$5.62 €5.00

5.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.89

$1.28 €1.14

41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R 40.95

$2.07 €1.84

20.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 R 33.11

$2.35 €2.09

-14.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 R 1,481

$44.18 €39.30

103.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.62

$3.99 €3.55

-79.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.70

$1.09 €0.97

-18.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.42 R 238

$16.64 €14.81

-13.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.51

$2.28 €2.03

-34.65%

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

$35.2K R 579.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

4.43%

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

$32.5K R 534.9K

$39.3K €35.0K

-17.37%

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

$233 R 3,841

$167 €149

39.18%

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

$37.52 R 618

$18.80 €16.72

99.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.32 R 598

$33.09 €29.43

9.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.44 R 600

$46.01 €40.93

-20.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 R 284

$19.19 €17.07

-10.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R 126

$9.84 €8.75

-22.15%

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

$246 R 4,048

$677 €602

-63.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,533 R 91.2K

$16.9K €15.1K

-67.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 R 963

$101 €90.1

-42.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.21 R 745

$45.76 €40.70

-1.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,817

$100.0 €88.9

10.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,734

$123 €109

-14.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 R 8,127

$1,614 €1,436

-69.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 R 7,160

$1,197 €1,065

-63.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 R 16.2K

$2,862 €2,545

-65.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$1,990 €1,770

-54.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$967 R 15.9K

$7,577 €6,740

-87.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$746 R 12.3K

$4,307 €3,831

-82.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 R 28.6K

$1,588 €1,412

9.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

3.85

183.38%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: 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

Johannesburg

$435 30.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 175% $762

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$307 21.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 28.5% $88

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 23.4% $51

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$171 12%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 41.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 15.8% $23

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 39% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 26.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Johannesburg versus $1,614 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 9% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $43.00 in Johannesburg versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $269 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

1 h behind Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Johannesburg Lisbon 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Johannesburg vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,145 per month in Johannesburg and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,430 in Johannesburg and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 55%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Johannesburg, where all-in costs run around $1,430, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Johannesburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Johannesburg costs $1,430 versus $2,223 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Johannesburg. 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.