Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bujumbura

For one person, living is cheaper in Bujumbura: $643 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Bujumbura
Learn more

Bujumbura Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Bujumbura

🇧🇮 Burundi

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bujumbura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $643 in Bujumbura.

Lisbon $2,223
Bujumbura $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,177 in Bujumbura.

Lisbon $3,271
Bujumbura $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,711 in Bujumbura.

Lisbon $4,319
Bujumbura $1,711

Living in Lisbon is roughly 246% more expensive than in Bujumbura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Bujumbura is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.77 BIF 11.3K

337.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$66.3 BIF 197.9K

-7.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$3.72 BIF 11.1K

202.96%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.98 BIF 8,915

2.68%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.72 BIF 5,127

31.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.34 BIF 3,990

29.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.21 BIF 6,612

53.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.60 BIF 19.7K

-48.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.02 BIF 3,057

9.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.98 BIF 5,929

-6.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.99 BIF 5,933

-23.12%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.54 BIF 10.6K

11.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$8.44 BIF 25.2K

51.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$11.26 BIF 33.6K

-29.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$11.23 BIF 33.6K

51.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.92 BIF 17.7K

-61.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.95 BIF 5,835

-5.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.64 BIF 4,890

56.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.96 BIF 5,864

-58.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$11.28 BIF 33.7K

-50.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.12 BIF 6,340

-39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.92 BIF 11.7K

-47.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.04 BIF 3,115

125.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$29.48 BIF 88.1K

49.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.16 BIF 15.4K

-22.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.27 BIF 9,756

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$29.72 BIF 88.8K

-44.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.37 BIF 4,089

66.42%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

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

$39.3K €35.0K

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

$167 €149

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

$18.80 €16.72

$8.02 BIF 24.0K

134.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$67.7 BIF 202.1K

-51.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$26.48 BIF 79.1K

73.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$1.63 BIF 4,861

503.68%

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

$677 €602

$98.3 BIF 293.5K

589.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$9,907 BIF 29.6M

70.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$430 BIF 1.3M

275.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$91.1 BIF 272.1K

1214.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,351 BIF 4.0M

111.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$272 BIF 812.4K

631.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,996 BIF 6.0M

279.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,634 BIF 4.9M

163.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$375 BIF 1.1M

323.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

14.17

-72.83%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bujumbura: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Bujumbura

$91 14.2% 92.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Bujumbura

$278 * 43.2% 3.1% $8.3

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Bujumbura

$114 17.7% 53.1% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Bujumbura

$76 * 11.8% 65.5% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bujumbura

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Bujumbura

$30 4.6% 54.7% $36

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Bujumbura

$55 8.6% 12.5% $7.9

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $430 in Bujumbura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 324% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $66.0 in Bujumbura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $278 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇮 Bujumbura

🕒 Local time

01:32 1:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

658,859

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Burundian Franc BIF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD

10,000 BIF = 2.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BIF, 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).

Burundian Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,987 BIF (10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD). 1 EUR = 3,358 BIF (10,000 BIF = 2.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Bujumbura 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bujumbura

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 Bujumbura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bujumbura wins on cost – living expenses run 246% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bujumbura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 324% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $430 in Bujumbura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $643 in Bujumbura – a 246% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bujumbura runs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $643 in Bujumbura versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bujumbura but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bujumbura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bujumbura delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $643 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bujumbura hard to pass up.

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

Expats usually find Bujumbura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 246% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.