Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ballito

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballito: $618 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Ballito
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Ballito Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Ballito

🇿🇦 South Africa

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ballito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $618 in Ballito.

Lisbon $2,210
Ballito $618

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $972 in Ballito.

Lisbon $3,275
Ballito $972

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,327 in Ballito.

Lisbon $4,341
Ballito $1,327

Living in Lisbon is roughly 257% more expensive than in Ballito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Ballito is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$6.02 R 101

176.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$39.25 R 656

57.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$5.85 R 97.7

94.19%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.66 R 44.42

11.65%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.13 R 18.91

102.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.90 R 15.00

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.98 R 33.04

71.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.49 R 41.68

32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.00 R 16.68

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.93 R 15.58

105.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.47 R 24.63

2.72%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.44 R 40.75

64.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.21 R 120

79.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$4.83 R 80.8

60.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$7.30 R 122

143.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.53 R 25.50

50.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.86 R 31.11

-6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.46 R 24.32

27.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.72 R 28.71

50.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.02 R 17.11

78.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.39 R 23.22

41.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.21 R 20.22

21.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.20 R 20.05

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.51 R 58.6

87.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$4.85 R 81.1

15.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.41 R 23.63

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.83 R 30.65

16.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.41 R 6.84

839.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.76 R 12.65

40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$7.37 R 123

123.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.30 R 21.75

69.23%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.1K R 586.6K

-2.62%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.5K R 559.9K

15.55%

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

$161 €144

$147 R 2,448

10.03%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$22.16 R 370

-16.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$35.37 R 591

-7.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.16 R 103

55.84%

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

$668 €598

$306 R 5,118

117.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,455 R 124.6K

136.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$41.38 R 691

146.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$29.89 R 499

48.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$59.0 R 986

66.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$82.4 R 1,376

50.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$448 R 7,478

259.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,506 R 25.2K

86.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,479 R 24.7K

6.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.78

-67.32%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ballito: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Ballito

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Ballito

$181 29.3% 33.4% $91

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Ballito

$121 19.5% 50.3% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Ballito

$204 33% 3.9% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Ballito

$96 15.5% 42.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Ballito

$12 * 2% 80.7% $51

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ballito

$4.2 * 0.7% 93.4% $59

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $448 in Ballito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 7% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $39 in Ballito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $181 per month, with Ballito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Ballito

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

14:46 2:46 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

27,718

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Ballito 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Ballito

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 Ballito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballito is about 72% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $448 in Ballito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $306 in Ballito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ballito – a meal for two runs $39 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $618 in Ballito versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ballito but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ballito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ballito is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Ballito are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ballito wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.