Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bellville

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,153 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bellville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,153 in Bellville.

Lisbon $2,210
Bellville $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,785 in Bellville.

Lisbon $3,275
Bellville $1,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,418 in Bellville.

Lisbon $4,341
Bellville $2,418

Living in Lisbon is roughly 92% more expensive than in Bellville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Bellville is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$12.25 R 204

35.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$24.27 R 404

154.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$6.08 R 101

86.84%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.96 R 32.66

51.53%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.36 R 22.63

68.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.03 R 17.13

68.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.23 R 37.10

52.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.67 R 61.2

-9.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.37 R 22.75

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.26 R 21.00

51.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.21 R 36.75

-31.67%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.11 R 51.9

29.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.11 R 152

42.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$6.96 R 116

11.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$9.79 R 163

81.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.85 R 30.87

24.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.90 R 31.63

-8.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.76 R 29.36

5.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.13 R 35.53

21.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.52 R 25.30

19.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.50 R 24.98

31.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.31 R 21.85

12.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.15 R 19.17

-37.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.73 R 62.2

76.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.24 R 104

-10.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.35 R 22.58

0.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.14 R 35.70

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.49 R 24.85

56.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.58 R 9.67

563.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.48 R 24.70

-27.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$5.09 R 84.8

223.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.54 R 25.71

42.86%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$35.3K R 588.7K

-3.22%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$34.4K R 573.9K

12.45%

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

$161 €145

$119 R 1,988

35.13%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$28.93 R 482

-36.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$39.84 R 664

-17.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$33.04 R 551

34.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$11.06 R 184

72.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.92 R 149

7.62%

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

$668 €600

$266 R 4,439

150.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,949 R 115.8K

153.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$56.9 R 948

79.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$32.09 R 535

38.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$120 R 1,992

-17.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$107 R 1,784

15.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$393 R 6,553

308.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$362 R 6,038

228.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$727 R 12.1K

286.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$746 R 12.4K

169.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$879 R 14.6K

791.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$685 R 11.4K

567.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.97

-64.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bellville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bellville

$362 31.4% 69.6% $828

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bellville

$228 19.7% 16.4% $45

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bellville

$168 14.6% 30.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bellville

$188 16.3% 11.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bellville

$142 12.3% 14.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bellville

$51 4.4% 20.2% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bellville

$14 * 1.2% 77.9% $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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $393 in Bellville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $24 in Bellville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $228 per month, with Bellville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Bellville

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

112,507

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bellville 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bellville

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 Bellville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,729 in Bellville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $393 in Bellville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,153 in Bellville – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bellville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,153 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bellville hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Bellville are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.