Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in East London

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $992 in East London, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
East London $992

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,611 in East London, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
East London $1,611

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,230 in East London, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
East London $2,230

Lisbon costs about 123% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while East London is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$9.10 R 151

82.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$38.23 R 635

61.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$5.57 R 92.5

103.95%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.05 R 34.01

44.88%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.04 R 17.30

120.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.76 R 12.68

128.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$2.69 R 44.62

26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.21 R 53.3

3.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.18 R 19.67

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.87 R 14.51

119.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.44 R 23.94

4.86%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$2.27 R 37.75

77.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$8.37 R 139

54.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$5.49 R 91.2

41.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$6.71 R 111

164.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.46 R 24.26

57.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.53 R 25.39

13.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.63 R 27.12

14.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.43 R 23.81

81.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.68 R 27.84

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.43 R 23.69

37.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.17 R 19.45

25.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.95 R 15.79

-24.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

$2.89 R 47.99

127.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$4.70 R 78.0

19.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.19 R 19.76

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.98 R 16.35

118.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.47 R 24.48

58.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

$46.85 R 778

-4.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$1.22 R 20.27

215.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.46 R 7.58

132.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

$8.38 R 139

96.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.35 R 22.41

62.96%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$34.7K R 575.7K

-1.38%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$29.3K R 486.3K

32.25%

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

$161 €144

$122 R 2,030

31.84%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$32.64 R 542

-43.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$44.35 R 736

-26.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$39.51 R 656

12.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$4.54 R 75.4

111.45%

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

$668 €596

$177 R 2,941

276.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,438 R 90.3K

223.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$56.8 R 944

79.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

$32.80 R 545

35.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$73.1 R 1,213

34.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$95.2 R 1,580

29.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$290 R 4,822

453.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$251 R 4,161

374.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$543 R 9,011

418.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$633 R 10.5K

217.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

$1,664 R 27.6K

-5.33%

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 East London: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

East London

$251 25.3% 78.9% $939

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

East London

$180 18.1% 34% $93

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

East London

$141 14.2% 41.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

East London

$199 20.1% 6.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

East London

$116 11.7% 30% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

East London

$49 4.9% 23.8% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

East London

$56 5.7% 11% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $290 in East London. 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 6% higher in East London, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $38 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $180 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon East London 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $992 in East London – East London comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,487 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $177 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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