Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Boroko

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $868 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Boroko

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $868 in Boroko, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Boroko $868

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,259 in Boroko, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Boroko $1,259

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,649 in Boroko, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Boroko $1,649

Lisbon costs about 155% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Boroko is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$7.29 PGK 31.67

128.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$34.42 PGK 149

79.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$5.35 PGK 23.26

112.34%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.48 PGK 10.76

19.76%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.71 PGK 3.06

222.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.64 PGK 2.78

171.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.58 PGK 11.22

31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.42 PGK 14.85

-3.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.50 PGK 6.51

-22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.16 PGK 5.02

64.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.16 PGK 5.03

30.17%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.55 PGK 15.40

13.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$4.98 PGK 21.65

159.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$4.79 PGK 20.79

62.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$6.61 PGK 28.72

168.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.85 PGK 16.70

-40.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$3.08 PGK 13.38

-43.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.72 PGK 11.80

-31.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.70 PGK 11.74

-4.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.82 PGK 12.24

-35.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.84 PGK 3.65

134.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.12 PGK 4.86

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.42 PGK 1.83

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.42 PGK 23.53

21.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.95 PGK 21.52

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.07 PGK 4.67

27.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.49 PGK 6.48

43.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.42 PGK 1.83

454.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$28.88 PGK 125

54.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.40 PGK 19.11

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.34 PGK 5.83

-20.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$10.97 PGK 47.66

50.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.80 PGK 3.47

175.00%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$35.7K PGK 155.0K

-4.20%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$17.6K PGK 76.4K

120.01%

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

$161 €145

$61.6 PGK 267

161.76%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$20.71 PGK 90.0

-11.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$82.1 PGK 357

-60.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$41.86 PGK 182

6.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$14.29 PGK 62.1

33.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.47 PGK 28.09

48.38%

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

$668 €600

$333 PGK 1,445

100.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,215 PGK 9,621

695.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$34.50 PGK 150

195.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$12.91 PGK 56.1

244.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$44.28 PGK 192

122.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$26.31 PGK 114

370.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$3,336 PGK 14.5K

-51.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$221 PGK 959

439.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$3,257 PGK 14.1K

-13.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$218 PGK 947

823.19%

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

$352 PGK 1,530

346.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-65.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Boroko: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Boroko

$221 25.4% 81.4% $969

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Boroko

$204 23.5% 25.1% $68

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Boroko

$129 14.9% 46.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Boroko

$164 18.9% 22.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Boroko

$53 6.1% 68% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Boroko

$55 6.3% 14% $9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Boroko

$42 4.8% 34.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $3,336 in Boroko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $34 in Boroko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $204 – making Boroko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇬 Boroko

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

06:26 6:26 AM

10 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.207 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, 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).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.34 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.84 PGK (1 PGK = 0.207 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Boroko 16,000 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Boroko

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 Boroko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 155% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,302 in Boroko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,608 there versus $3,336 in Boroko.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $333 in Boroko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $868 in Boroko. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Boroko to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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