Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kinshasa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kinshasa: $1,723 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kinshasa
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Kinshasa Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Kinshasa

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,723

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Kinshasa vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Kinshasa $1,723
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $3,035 per month in Kinshasa vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Kinshasa $3,035
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $4,347 per month in Kinshasa vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Kinshasa $4,347
Lisbon $4,319

Kinshasa is about 22% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kinshasa and Lisbon sit above the global median – Kinshasa by 28%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 CDF 41.0K

$16.50 €14.67

9.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 CDF 194.6K

$61.3 €54.5

40.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.24 CDF 34.5K

$11.27 €10.03

35.23%

Cappuccino

$6.49 CDF 14.7K

$3.06 €2.72

112.09%

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

$2.73 CDF 6,194

$2.26 €2.01

20.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 CDF 4,662

$1.73 €1.54

19.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 CDF 5,702

$3.39 €3.02

-25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 CDF 10.3K

$3.40 €3.02

34.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.31 CDF 7,491

$1.12 €1.00

195.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 CDF 5,061

$1.86 €1.65

19.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 CDF 7,138

$1.53 €1.36

105.88%

Eggs

$3.99 CDF 9,049

$3.96 €3.53

0.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 CDF 21.7K

$12.76 €11.35

-24.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.80 CDF 38.1K

$7.90 €7.02

112.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 CDF 28.0K

$16.97 €15.09

-27.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CDF 8,191

$2.27 €2.02

59.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 CDF 6,912

$1.75 €1.55

74.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 CDF 9,637

$1.85 €1.64

129.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 CDF 9,432

$2.57 €2.28

61.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CDF 7,607

$1.86 €1.65

80.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 CDF 7,000

$2.02 €1.80

52.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 CDF 4,741

$1.44 €1.28

45.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CDF 3,305

$0.82 €0.73

78.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 CDF 10.4K

$6.56 €5.83

-30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.86 CDF 35.9K

$5.62 €5.00

182.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 CDF 4,424

$1.28 €1.14

52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 CDF 9,709

$2.07 €1.84

107.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 CDF 1,079

$2.35 €2.09

-79.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.01 CDF 49.9K

$44.18 €39.30

-50.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 CDF 12.7K

$3.99 €3.55

40.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CDF 2,857

$1.09 €0.97

15.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 CDF 11.5K

$16.64 €14.81

-69.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 CDF 4,028

$2.28 €2.03

-21.93%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

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

$39.3K €35.0K

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

$85.1 CDF 192.9K

$167 €149

-49.17%

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

$27.99 CDF 63.4K

$18.80 €16.72

48.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 CDF 158.4K

$33.09 €29.43

111.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 CDF 176.3K

$46.01 €40.93

69.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.96 CDF 49.8K

$19.19 €17.07

14.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 CDF 34.3K

$9.84 €8.75

53.76%

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

$562 CDF 1.3M

$677 €602

-16.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K CDF 24.2M

$16.9K €15.1K

-36.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.71 CDF 101.3K

$101 €90.1

-55.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.01 CDF 86.1K

$45.76 €40.70

-16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 CDF 252.5K

$100.0 €88.9

11.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 CDF 283.2K

$123 €109

1.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 CDF 3.8M

$1,614 €1,436

5.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 CDF 1.2M

$1,197 €1,065

-54.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,128 CDF 9.4M

$2,862 €2,545

44.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 CDF 3.5M

$1,990 €1,770

-23.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,958 CDF 11.2M

$7,577 €6,740

-34.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,249 CDF 2.8M

$4,307 €3,831

-70.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$350 CDF 791.8K

$1,588 €1,412

-77.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

263.64%

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

Last update for Kinshasa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kinshasa

$543 31.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 121% $654

Groceries & Markets

Kinshasa

$400 23.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 32.7% $131

Eating Out

Kinshasa

$309 18%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 21.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kinshasa

$183 10.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 19.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Kinshasa

$144 8.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 15.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Kinshasa

$108 6.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 39.2% $42

Getting Around

Kinshasa

$36 2.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 75.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,696 in Kinshasa 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 354% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Kinshasa versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇩 Kinshasa

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

Same time as Kinshasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,032,322 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CDF – Congolese Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇩 Congolese Franc (Fr)

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CDF in detail →

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Between locations

Kinshasa Lisbon 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kinshasa
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

Kinshasa vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Kinshasa, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,584 per month in Kinshasa 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 Kinshasa, 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 $86.0 in Kinshasa 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 $1,723 in Kinshasa and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Kinshasa, where all-in costs run around $1,723, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Kinshasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,723 in Kinshasa to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kinshasa. 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.