Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuruman and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuruman: $1,162 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kuruman, South Africa
Lisbon, Portugal
Kuruman
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,162
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,206
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,162 in Kuruman versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

  • Kuruman $1,162
  • Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,815 in Kuruman versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

  • Kuruman $1,815
  • Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,468 in Kuruman versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Kuruman $2,468
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Kuruman costs roughly 47% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kuruman is 14% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.85 R 178
$16.86 €15.02
-35.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.97 R 622
$61.0 €54.4
-37.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.59 R 91.6
$10.98 €9.78
-49.09%
Cappuccino
$1.85 R 30.31
$3.05 €2.72
-39.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.71
$2.28 €2.03
-50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 R 9.60
$1.68 €1.50
-64.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.45 R 40.19
$3.44 €3.06
-28.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 R 43.91
$3.91 €3.48
-31.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 R 18.73
$1.15 €1.02
-0.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 R 21.43
$1.89 €1.68
-30.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 R 29.11
$1.50 €1.34
18.67%
Eggs
$4.26 R 69.8
$4.12 €3.67
3.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.52 R 140
$13.01 €11.59
-34.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.05 R 82.8
$8.04 €7.17
-37.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.49 R 123
$17.89 €15.94
-58.13%
Apples (1kg)
$1.85 R 30.34
$2.27 €2.02
-18.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 R 26.66
$1.74 €1.55
-6.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.04
$1.82 €1.62
-2.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.26
$2.69 €2.39
-38.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R 23.42
$1.77 €1.57
-19.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.42 R 23.26
$1.94 €1.73
-26.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 R 19.30
$1.46 €1.30
-19.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 R 19.26
$0.76 €0.68
55.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.64 R 59.7
$6.66 €5.93
-45.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.93 R 80.8
$5.64 €5.02
-12.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 R 23.70
$1.29 €1.15
12.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 R 31.01
$2.14 €1.91
-11.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.56 R 25.59
$2.30 €2.05
-32.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.02 €39.21
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.85 R 13.97
$3.98 €3.55
-78.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.82 R 13.43
$0.64 €0.57
28.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.01 R 213
$18.93 €16.86
-31.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 R 24.38
$2.28 €2.03
-34.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.4K R 498.4K
$33.4K €29.7K
-8.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.8K R 504.9K
$38.5K €34.3K
-19.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 R 2,514
$158 €141
-3.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.83 R 571
$17.54 €15.62
98.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.52 R 615
$31.18 €27.78
20.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.98 R 540
$44.64 €39.77
-26.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 R 178
$18.98 €16.91
-42.83%
Cinema Ticket
$6.48 R 106
$9.58 €8.53
-32.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$265 R 4,339
$674 €600
-60.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,306 R 103.3K
$18.7K €16.7K
-66.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.2 R 887
$102 €91.0
-47.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.07 R 558
$45.90 €40.89
-25.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.2 R 1,609
$102 €91.0
-3.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.0 R 1,392
$122 €109
-30.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$438 R 7,179
$1,641 €1,461
-73.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$403 R 6,609
$1,187 €1,058
-66.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$650 R 10.6K
$2,825 €2,516
-77.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$836 R 13.7K
$2,018 €1,798
-58.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$799 R 13.1K
$7,836 €6,980
-89.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$679 R 11.1K
$4,701 €4,188
-85.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kuruman
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,098 R 18.0K
$1,687 €1,503
-34.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.92
3.82
185.86%

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

Last update for Kuruman: 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
Kuruman
$403
Lisbon
$1.2K 194% $784
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuruman
$226
Lisbon
$207 8.3% $19
Groceries & Markets
Kuruman
$203
Lisbon
$275 35.1% $71
Eating Out
Kuruman
$150
Lisbon
$245 63.1% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Kuruman
$122
Lisbon
$168 37.2% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Kuruman
$46
Lisbon
$64 38.9% $18
Getting Around
Kuruman
$11 *
Lisbon
$60 439% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Kuruman and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 54% 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: $38 in Kuruman vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $203 vs $275 per month, with Kuruman cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Kuruman
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
00:26 12:26 AM
22:26 10:26 PM
2 h behind Kuruman
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,093
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kuruman Lisbon 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kuruman
  • 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
Kuruman vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Kuruman and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,162 in Kuruman and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Kuruman is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Kuruman. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Kuruman and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $438 in Kuruman versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Kuruman and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $265 in Kuruman versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Kuruman – a meal for two runs $38 versus $61 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,162 in Kuruman versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kuruman but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kuruman the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Kuruman and Lisbon?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Kuruman or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Kuruman and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Kuruman and Lisbon?
It comes down to priorities – Kuruman wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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