Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hamilton, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $1,917 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Hamilton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,917 in Hamilton.

Lisbon $2,210
Hamilton $1,917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,828 in Hamilton.

Lisbon $3,275
Hamilton $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,739 in Hamilton.

Lisbon $4,341
Hamilton $3,739

Living in Lisbon is roughly 15% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Hamilton 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$12.20 NZ$21.47

36.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$74.6 NZ$131

-17.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$8.34 NZ$14.68

36.21%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.49 NZ$6.15

-14.90%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.31 NZ$4.07

-0.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.50 NZ$4.40

-30.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.08 NZ$10.70

-44.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.61 NZ$9.87

-41.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.46 NZ$2.57

-20.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.25 NZ$2.20

52.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.94 NZ$3.41

-22.16%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.52 NZ$9.71

-27.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$5.78 NZ$10.17

123.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$7.18 NZ$12.64

8.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$11.70 NZ$20.60

51.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.71 NZ$4.76

-15.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.31 NZ$4.06

-25.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.24 NZ$5.71

-42.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$6.21 NZ$10.93

-58.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.05 NZ$3.61

-11.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.41 NZ$2.49

39.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.49 NZ$4.38

-40.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.98 NZ$1.73

-26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$26.19 NZ$46.10

-74.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.72 NZ$18.87

-47.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.02 NZ$7.08

-66.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.14 NZ$7.29

-48.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.66 NZ$4.68

-12.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$52.7 NZ$92.7

-15.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.70 NZ$6.51

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.67 NZ$2.93

31.74%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$28.2K NZ$49.7K

21.17%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$22.4K NZ$39.3K

73.25%

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

$161 €145

$58.3 NZ$103

176.73%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$36.48 NZ$64.2

-49.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$55.5 NZ$97.6

-40.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$25.73 NZ$45.29

73.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$28.98 NZ$51.0

-34.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$13.93 NZ$24.52

-31.08%

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

$668 €600

$670 NZ$1,180

-0.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$22.5K NZ$39.5K

-21.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$63.7 NZ$112

60.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$38.93 NZ$68.5

14.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$94.7 NZ$167

3.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$107 NZ$188

16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,090 NZ$1,918

47.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$987 NZ$1,737

20.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$1,636 NZ$2,879

71.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$1,476 NZ$2,598

36.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$4,019 NZ$7,074

95.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$4,525 NZ$7,964

1.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,678 NZ$4,713

-41.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.83

-43.63%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Hamilton

$987 51.5% 17.1% $203

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Hamilton

$297 15.5% 9.1% $25

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Hamilton

$225 11.8% 7.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Hamilton

$150 7.8% 29.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Hamilton

$137 7.1% 17.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Hamilton

$54 2.8% 15.9% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Hamilton

$67 * 3.5% 6% $3.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,090 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $75 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $297 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

06:42 6:42 AM

13 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

169,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, 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).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.51 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Hamilton 19,620 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Hamilton

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 Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,090 in Hamilton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $75 in Hamilton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,917 in Hamilton – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Hamilton gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Hamilton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.