Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Fourways

For one person, living is cheaper in Fourways: $1,031 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Fourways, South Africa
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Fourways
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,031
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Fourways

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,031 in Fourways, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Fourways $1,031

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,591 in Fourways, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Fourways $1,591

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,151 in Fourways, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Fourways $2,151

Lisbon costs about 114% more than Fourways, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Fourways is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.96
$9.11 R 152
82.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$36.79 R 612
67.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$5.32 R 88.5
113.53%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$2.18 R 36.26
36.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$1.02 R 17.01
124.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.81 R 13.41
114.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$2.35 R 39.14
44.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.74 R 45.60
20.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.16 R 19.37
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$1.12 R 18.68
70.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.67 R 27.74
-9.58%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$2.40 R 39.96
67.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$7.56 R 126
71.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.99
$4.35 R 72.5
78.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.96
$7.02 R 117
152.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$1.38 R 23.03
66.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.59 R 26.50
8.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$1.76 R 29.31
5.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$1.54 R 25.64
68.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$1.12 R 18.65
62.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$1.21 R 20.16
62.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.22 R 20.33
20.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$1.09 R 18.15
-33.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.92
$3.19 R 53.1
106.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$5.01 R 83.3
11.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.52 R 25.37
-10.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$1.96 R 32.60
9.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$0.29 R 4.76
1227.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.80 R 13.34
33.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$14.28 R 238
15.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.56 R 25.91
41.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$28.7K R 477.4K
19.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$26.7K R 444.2K
45.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$87.3 R 1,452
84.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$36.98 R 615
-50.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$36.87 R 613
-11.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.03
$32.58 R 542
36.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$16.27 R 271
17.39%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$7.12 R 118
34.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$256 R 4,259
160.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$7,815 R 130.0K
125.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.7
$53.0 R 882
92.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.95
$31.76 R 528
39.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$77.2 R 1,285
27.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$84.3 R 1,403
46.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$386 R 6,419
316.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$387 R 6,436
207.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,527
$740 R 12.3K
280.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,809
$704 R 11.7K
185.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,043
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,111
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Fourways
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$1,572 R 26.2K
0.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11.34
-66.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Fourways: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Fourways
$387 67.5% $803
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Fourways
$181 33.5% $91
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Fourways
$140 42.5% $103
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Fourways
$161 24.1% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Fourways
$111 33.2% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Fourways
$47 26.6% $17
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Fourways
$4.3 * 93.2% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $386 in Fourways. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $37 in Fourways. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $181 – making Fourways the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇿🇦 Fourways
🕒 Local time
13:00 1:00 PM
15:00 3:00 PM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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 = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Fourways 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Fourways

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 Fourways: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Fourways?
Lisbon costs about 114% more than Fourways, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Lisbon and in Fourways?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,546 in Fourways. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lisbon or Fourways?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Fourways, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
How do dining costs compare in Lisbon and in Fourways?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $37 in Fourways. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Lisbon or in Fourways?
Groceries cost about 50% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lisbon or in Fourways?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,031 in Fourways. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lisbon or Fourways?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fourways costs $1,031 versus $2,210 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Lisbon compared to Fourways?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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