Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Alberton

For one person, living is cheaper in Alberton: $1,206 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Alberton
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Alberton Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Alberton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Alberton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Alberton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,206 in Alberton.

Lisbon $2,210
Alberton $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,989 in Alberton.

Lisbon $3,275
Alberton $1,989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,772 in Alberton.

Lisbon $4,341
Alberton $2,772

Living in Lisbon is roughly 83% more expensive than in Alberton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Alberton is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$8.78 R 147

89.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$36.42 R 608

69.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.92 R 82.1

130.89%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.27 R 37.96

30.84%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.02 R 17.02

124.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.83 R 13.91

109.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.38 R 39.66

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.46 R 41.13

34.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.20 R 20.03

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.12 R 18.76

70.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.83 R 30.53

-17.49%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.31 R 38.55

74.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.41 R 140

53.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.83 R 80.6

60.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$6.04 R 101

194.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.77 R 29.47

29.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.59 R 26.49

8.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.79 R 29.80

3.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.62 R 27.11

59.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.07 R 17.91

70.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.17 R 19.46

68.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.16 R 19.31

26.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.93 R 15.45

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.16 R 52.7

108.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$3.10 R 51.7

80.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.27 R 21.19

7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.32 R 21.97

62.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.09 R 51.6

-24.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$120 R 1,998

-62.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.29 R 4.80

1227.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.76 R 12.62

40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$14.46 R 241

13.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.40 R 23.38

57.14%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.1K R 502.3K

13.62%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.2K R 553.7K

16.75%

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

$161 €144

$151 R 2,522

6.73%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$36.94 R 617

-50.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$36.25 R 605

-9.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$40.04 R 668

11.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$14.90 R 249

28.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.99 R 99.9

60.27%

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

$668 €598

$151 R 2,526

341.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,775 R 29.6K

892.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$53.3 R 889

91.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$31.64 R 528

40.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$93.5 R 1,560

5.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$83.9 R 1,400

47.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$428 R 7,143

275.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$361 R 6,032

229.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$915 R 15.3K

207.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$980 R 16.4K

105.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$726 R 12.1K

979.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$597 R 9,968

666.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,097 R 35.0K

-24.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.34

-66.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alberton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Alberton

$361 30% 69.6% $829

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Alberton

$177 14.7% 34.9% $95

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Alberton

$137 11.3% 43.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Alberton

$224 18.6% 5.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Alberton

$118 9.8% 28.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Alberton

$52 4.3% 18.4% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Alberton

$136 11.3% 115% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $428 in Alberton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alberton pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $36 in Alberton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $177 per month, with Alberton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Alberton

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

121,536

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Alberton 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Alberton

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

Lisbon vs Alberton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alberton is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $428 in Alberton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Alberton – a meal for two runs $36 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,206 in Alberton versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alberton but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Alberton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.