Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Durban

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Durban $2,366

Lisbon costs about 96% more than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Durban is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$7.93 R 132

109.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$39.14 R 652

57.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$6.15 R 103

84.72%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.73 R 45.52

8.79%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.12 R 18.58

104.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.91 R 15.22

91.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.43 R 40.48

39.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.48 R 41.39

33.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.17 R 19.51

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.01 R 16.75

89.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.50 R 24.96

0.67%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.43 R 40.49

65.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.22 R 137

57.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.32 R 88.6

46.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$7.28 R 121

143.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.95 R 32.45

17.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.95 R 32.45

-11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.94 R 32.35

-4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.65 R 27.42

56.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.55 R 25.81

17.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.46 R 24.32

34.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.17 R 19.41

25.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.14 R 18.96

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.64 R 60.7

80.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.73 R 78.9

18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.41 R 23.42

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.89 R 31.57

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.79 R 29.78

30.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$21.32 R 355

109.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.41 R 6.78

839.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.76 R 12.59

40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$7.72 R 129

113.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.49 R 24.83

47.65%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$35.5K R 591.4K

-3.66%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$32.3K R 538.6K

19.82%

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

$161 €145

$148 R 2,460

9.21%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$35.49 R 591

-48.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$39.45 R 657

-17.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$31.01 R 517

43.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$8.61 R 143

121.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.39 R 123

29.91%

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

$668 €600

$317 R 5,274

110.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,714 R 128.5K

128.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$53.2 R 887

91.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$30.50 R 508

45.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$99.1 R 1,651

-0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$85.0 R 1,417

45.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$445 R 7,414

261.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$374 R 6,240

217.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$814 R 13.6K

245.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$744 R 12.4K

170.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$820 R 13.7K

856.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$565 R 9,419

709.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,280 R 21.3K

23.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.78

-67.32%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Durban

$374 33.1% 68.5% $816

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Durban

$194 17.2% 28.7% $78

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Durban

$140 12.4% 42.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Durban

$223 19.7% 4.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Durban

$121 10.7% 27.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Durban

$46 4.1% 28.1% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Durban

$33 2.9% 48.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $445 in Durban. 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 in Lisbon versus $39 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $194 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,442,361

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Durban 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Durban

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 Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,130 in Durban. That makes Durban about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Durban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Durban – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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