Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Gisenyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Gisenyi: $452 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Gisenyi, Rwanda
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Gisenyi
🇷🇼 Rwanda
$452
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Gisenyi

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $452 in Gisenyi, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Gisenyi $452

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $695 in Gisenyi, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Gisenyi $695

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $937 in Gisenyi, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Gisenyi $937

Lisbon costs about 389% more than Gisenyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Gisenyi is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$2.66 RWF 3,920
525.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$15.09 RWF 22.2K
309.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$6.04 RWF 8,892
88.08%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$2.48 RWF 3,643
19.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.81 RWF 1,194
182.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.54 RWF 797
222.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$1.03 RWF 1,516
230.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$1.95 RWF 2,869
69.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$0.87 RWF 1,286
33.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.08 RWF 1,585
76.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.28 RWF 1,884
17.97%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.59 RWF 2,334
152.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$4.19 RWF 6,165
208.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$4.63 RWF 6,816
67.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$4.63 RWF 6,805
283.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.47 RWF 3,641
-6.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$0.77 RWF 1,126
124.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.48 RWF 2,179
25.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$1.02 RWF 1,508
153.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.49 RWF 714
271.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.77 RWF 1,139
155.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.29 RWF 421
406.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.86 RWF 1,265
-16.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$2.06 RWF 3,029
219.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$10.06 RWF 14.8K
-44.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$0.99 RWF 1,457
37.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.58 RWF 2,321
35.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.10 RWF 143
2230.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$2.70 RWF 3,968
42.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.97 RWF 2,903
-45.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$3.43 RWF 5,048
379.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.84 RWF 2,703
19.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$26.5K RWF 39.0M
28.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$29.1K RWF 42.8M
33.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$84.0 RWF 123.5K
92.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$3.02 RWF 4,450
509.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$21.19 RWF 31.2K
54.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$3.29 RWF 4,840
191.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$113 RWF 166.4K
490.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$9,547 RWF 14.0M
84.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$17.68 RWF 26.0K
477.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$15.82 RWF 23.3K
181.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$22.10 RWF 32.5K
345.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$33.83 RWF 49.8K
265.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$290 RWF 426.3K
455.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$49.55 RWF 72.9K
2301.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$295 RWF 433.3K
854.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$120 RWF 177.0K
1573.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Gisenyi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
16.2
-76.23%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gisenyi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Gisenyi
$50 95.8% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Gisenyi
$151 44.4% $121
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Gisenyi
$84 65.5% $159
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Gisenyi
$108 49.1% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Gisenyi
$40 75.7% $126
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Gisenyi
$6.6 * 89.7% $57
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Gisenyi
$13 * 79.5% $50

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 $290 in Gisenyi. 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 $15 in Gisenyi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $151 – making Gisenyi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇷🇼 Gisenyi
🕒 Local time
21:17 9:17 PM
23:17 11:17 PM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
172,357
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,643 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Gisenyi 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Gisenyi

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 Gisenyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Gisenyi?
Lisbon costs about 389% more than Gisenyi, 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 Gisenyi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $679 in Gisenyi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lisbon or Gisenyi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gisenyi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
How do dining costs compare in Lisbon and in Gisenyi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $15 in Gisenyi. 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 Gisenyi?
Groceries cost about 80% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Lisbon or in Gisenyi?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Gisenyi, where all-in costs run around $452, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Gisenyi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Gisenyi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Lisbon compared to Gisenyi?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?