Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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 George
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George Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in George

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,105 in George.

Lisbon $2,223
George $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,834 in George.

Lisbon $3,271
George $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,563 in George.

Lisbon $4,319
George $2,563

Living in Lisbon is roughly 101% more expensive than in George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, George is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$10.87 R 179

51.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$41.26 R 680

48.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.81 R 79.3

134.30%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.10 R 34.66

45.71%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.06 R 17.47

113.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.77 R 12.63

124.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.72 R 44.76

24.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.20 R 52.8

6.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.13 R 18.55

-0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.04 R 17.20

78.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.43 R 23.63

6.99%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.80 R 46.05

41.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$8.36 R 138

52.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$5.45 R 89.8

44.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$6.66 R 110

154.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.61 R 26.49

40.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.47 R 24.19

19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.54 R 25.33

20.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.73 R 28.44

48.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.63 R 26.89

14.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.42 R 23.41

42.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.25 R 20.53

15.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.97 R 15.99

-15.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.18 R 52.4

106.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.72 R 77.8

19.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.22 R 20.09

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.73 R 28.48

19.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.54 R 25.37

52.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$27.77 R 457

59.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$0.58 R 9.50

587.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.47 R 7.67

131.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$8.38 R 138

98.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.22 R 20.03

86.89%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$29.7K R 488.9K

13.48%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$29.4K R 483.7K

33.83%

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

$167 €149

$121 R 1,995

38.35%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$17.44 R 287

7.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$45.19 R 745

-26.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$29.75 R 490

54.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$10.64 R 175

80.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.08 R 100

61.84%

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

$677 €602

$137 R 2,263

392.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$5,187 R 85.5K

226.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$71.5 R 1,177

41.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$37.94 R 625

20.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$112 R 1,845

-10.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$85.8 R 1,413

43.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$422 R 6,956

282.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$365 R 6,010

228.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$773 R 12.7K

270.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$929 R 15.3K

114.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$871 R 14.4K

769.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$652 R 10.7K

560.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,364 R 22.5K

16.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.92

-64.74%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

George

$365 33% 69.5% $832

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

George

$186 16.8% 31% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

George

$154 13.9% 36.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

George

$184 16.6% 16.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

George

$138 12.5% 16.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

George

$42 3.8% 36.2% $24

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

George

$37 3.3% 41.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $422 in George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 16% 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 $41.00 in George for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $186 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

188,580

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon George 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $422 in George. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,105 in George – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,105 in George versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes George the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, George is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and George 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 George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.