Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $546 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$546

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Arusha

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 Arusha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $546 in Arusha, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Arusha $546

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $882 in Arusha, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Arusha $882

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,218 in Arusha, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Arusha $1,218

Lisbon costs about 304% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Arusha is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$3.32 TZS 8,674

401.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$27.18 TZS 71.0K

127.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$8.89 TZS 23.2K

27.78%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.64 TZS 4,290

81.10%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.92 TZS 2,402

148.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.30 TZS 779

480.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.05 TZS 2,744

223.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.87 TZS 7,496

15.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.96 TZS 2,511

20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.67 TZS 1,761

185.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.66 TZS 4,332

-9.04%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.74 TZS 4,546

131.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.25 TZS 5,865

2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$0.79 TZS 2,069

227.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.46 TZS 1,191

295.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.02 TZS 2,668

93.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.83 TZS 2,177

-13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$1.50 TZS 3,907

338.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.96 TZS 2,507

41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$0.97 TZS 2,521

120.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.19 TZS 497

1126.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$7.57 TZS 19.8K

117.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.30 TZS 3,404

69.23%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

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

$38.7K €34.8K

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

$161 €145

$28.47 TZS 74.3K

466.28%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$8.27 TZS 21.6K

122.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$48.04 TZS 125.4K

-31.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$63.9 TZS 166.7K

-30.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.67 TZS 12.2K

105.57%

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

$668 €600

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,612 TZS 19.9M

131.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$281 TZS 732.9K

472.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$234 TZS 609.7K

409.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$495 TZS 1.3M

468.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$522 TZS 1.4M

285.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Arusha

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Arusha

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Arusha

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Arusha

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Arusha

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Arusha

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Arusha

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $281 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $27 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $65 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

02:45 2:45 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

617,631

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.83 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2,611 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.83 USD). 1 EUR = 2,907 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Arusha 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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

Lisbon vs Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $546 in Arusha – Arusha comes out roughly 75% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $820 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $281 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $27 in Arusha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $546 in Arusha. That makes Arusha about 75% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $546, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Arusha 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 $546 in Arusha to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.