Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,367 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Centurion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,367 in Centurion.

Lisbon $2,210
Centurion $1,367

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,206 in Centurion.

Lisbon $3,275
Centurion $2,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,045 in Centurion.

Lisbon $4,341
Centurion $3,045

Living in Lisbon is roughly 62% more expensive than in Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$21.75 R 361

-23.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$40.00 R 664

54.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.75 R 95.5

97.57%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.67 R 44.30

11.24%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.97 R 16.05

136.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.87 R 14.41

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.04 R 33.90

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.42 R 40.14

36.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.17 R 19.35

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.21 R 20.13

57.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.11 R 35.07

-28.44%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.93 R 48.73

37.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.09 R 168

28.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.63 R 110

17.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$7.26 R 121

144.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.86 R 30.91

23.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.86 R 30.93

-6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.14 R 35.49

-13.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.05 R 34.08

26.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.59 R 26.34

14.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.78 R 29.58

10.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.36 R 22.52

8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.39 R 23.06

-48.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.70 R 61.4

77.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.94 R 98.7

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.58 R 26.26

-13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.09 R 34.68

2.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.36 R 39.18

-1.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$97.4 R 1,617

-54.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.22 R 20.30

215.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.18 R 19.61

-9.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$9.04 R 150

82.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.44 R 23.93

52.78%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.7K R 593.0K

-4.23%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$32.9K R 545.8K

17.85%

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

$161 €144

$136 R 2,263

18.35%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$29.89 R 497

-38.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$40.20 R 668

-18.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$43.78 R 727

1.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$10.59 R 176

-9.35%

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

$668 €598

$315 R 5,226

112.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,416 R 73.4K

298.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$58.5 R 972

74.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$43.25 R 718

2.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$117 R 1,944

-15.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$102 R 1,696

21.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$335 R 5,571

379.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$369 R 6,124

222.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$581 R 9,643

384.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$891 R 14.8K

126.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$527 R 8,757

1386.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$605 R 10.0K

656.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,364 R 39.3K

-33.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.5

-63.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Centurion: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Centurion

$369 27% 69% $821

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Centurion

$223 16.3% 18.2% $50

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Centurion

$246 18% 1.2% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Centurion

$206 15.1% 2.8% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Centurion

$144 10.6% 13% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Centurion

$65 4.8% 1.9% $1.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Centurion

$114 8.3% 80.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $335 in Centurion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $40 in Centurion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $223 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

08:27 8:27 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

236,580

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Centurion 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Centurion

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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $335 in Centurion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 54% less than in Centurion. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $315 in Centurion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Centurion 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 Centurion delivers better value at $1,367 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

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