Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bloemfontein

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,069 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bloemfontein

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $1,069 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Bloemfontein $1,069

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $1,693 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Bloemfontein $1,693

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $2,318 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Bloemfontein $2,318

Lisbon costs about 106% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Bloemfontein is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$12.32 R 203

38.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$41.20 R 679

51.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.12 R 117

54.78%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.09 R 34.46

49.28%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.43 R 23.52

58.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.09 R 17.98

59.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.65 R 43.63

29.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.81 R 46.23

33.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.05 R 17.28

11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.06 R 17.49

75.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.07 R 34.16

-25.60%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.19 R 36.03

85.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$7.55 R 124

70.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$5.02 R 82.7

57.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$7.96 R 131

121.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.91 R 31.44

18.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.57 R 25.80

11.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.75 R 28.85

8.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.53 R 25.13

67.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.52 R 25.09

21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.87 R 30.81

5.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.16 R 19.07

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.97 R 15.92

-20.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$2.58 R 42.46

160.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$4.91 R 81.0

15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.85 R 30.42

-25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.43 R 23.54

47.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.95 R 15.70

144.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$76.2 R 1,255

-41.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.12 R 18.37

252.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.49 R 24.55

46.98%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$37.1K R 610.6K

-8.84%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$28.7K R 472.9K

33.32%

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

$164 €146

$78.3 R 1,290

109.18%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$33.48 R 552

-44.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$31.98 R 527

3.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$32.07 R 528

43.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$4.94 R 81.3

97.37%

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

$684 €608

$194 R 3,196

252.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$62.0 R 1,021

67.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$41.84 R 689

10.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$132 R 2,175

-24.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$113 R 1,861

10.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$322 R 5,305

393.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$282 R 4,641

314.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$525 R 8,653

442.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$545 R 8,982

265.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$480 R 7,907

1523.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$641 R 10.6K

589.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,296 R 21.3K

23.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

12.13

-68.26%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Bloemfontein

$282 26.4% 75.9% $887

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Bloemfontein

$190 17.8% 30.5% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Bloemfontein

$174 16.3% 29.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Bloemfontein

$144 13.5% 33.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Bloemfontein

$157 14.7% 6.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Bloemfontein

$42 3.9% 35.8% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6% 28.9% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $322 in Bloemfontein. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 23% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $41.00 in Bloemfontein. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $190 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

370,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bloemfontein 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bloemfontein

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 Bloemfontein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 106% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $1,604 in Bloemfontein. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $41.00 in Bloemfontein. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bloemfontein, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Bloemfontein it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bloemfontein costs $1,069 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bloemfontein. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.