Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Harare

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,018 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Harare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,018 in Harare.

Lisbon $2,202
Harare $1,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,696 in Harare.

Lisbon $3,274
Harare $1,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,375 in Harare.

Lisbon $4,346
Harare $2,375

Living in Lisbon is roughly 116% more expensive than in Harare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Harare is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$9.95 ZWL 265

71.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$45.58 ZWL 1,213

36.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.63 ZWL 150

95.74%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.98 ZWL 79.3

4.70%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.94 ZWL 24.95

141.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.45 ZWL 11.98

286.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

245.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

91.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.53 ZWL 40.78

-23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.02 ZWL 27.05

82.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.66 ZWL 44.16

-7.23%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.98 ZWL 52.7

105.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.37 ZWL 303

13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$5.40 ZWL 144

46.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$6.79 ZWL 181

159.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.06 ZWL 81.4

-26.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.63 ZWL 43.25

7.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

-7.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.52 ZWL 40.50

68.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.73 ZWL 46.09

6.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.80 ZWL 47.94

9.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.29 ZWL 34.35

12.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.00 ZWL 26.67

-23.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

244.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$8.33 ZWL 222

-31.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.38 ZWL 36.62

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

7.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

136.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$60.8 ZWL 1,618

-26.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.88 ZWL 103

1.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.05 ZWL 54.6

-48.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$5.12 ZWL 136

234.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.79 ZWL 47.75

22.35%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$21.9K ZWL 582.6K

54.30%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$27.2K ZWL 722.7K

40.90%

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

$164 €146

$50.7 ZWL 1,348

223.42%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$21.89 ZWL 583

-15.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$69.5 ZWL 1,849

-52.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$47.15 ZWL 1,255

-2.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$22.40 ZWL 596

-16.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.18 ZWL 271

-4.22%

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

$684 €608

$467 ZWL 12.4K

46.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$8,608 ZWL 229.1K

104.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$23.43 ZWL 623

342.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$21.48 ZWL 572

115.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$38.24 ZWL 1,018

160.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$40.39 ZWL 1,075

208.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$384 ZWL 10.2K

314.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$311 ZWL 8,284

275.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$835 ZWL 22.2K

241.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$743 ZWL 19.8K

168.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$939 ZWL 25.0K

730.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$393 ZWL 10.4K

1025.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$419 ZWL 11.2K

281.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

13.69

-71.88%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Harare: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Harare

$311 30.6% 73.4% $858

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Harare

$216 21.2% 20.9% $57

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Harare

$147 14.4% 40.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Harare

$142 14% 34% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Harare

$56 5.5% 67% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Harare

$68 6.6% 3.3% $2.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Harare

$79 7.8% 25.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $384 in Harare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 282% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $46.00 in Harare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $216 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇼 Harare

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,606,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Harare 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Harare

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 Harare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 116% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 282% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $384 in Harare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $467 in Harare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,018 in Harare versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Harare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Harare 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 Harare 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 Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.