Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hermanus

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermanus: $1,143 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
Learn more

Hermanus Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Hermanus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,143 in Hermanus.

Lisbon $2,210
Hermanus $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,761 in Hermanus.

Lisbon $3,275
Hermanus $1,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,379 in Hermanus.

Lisbon $4,341
Hermanus $2,379

Living in Lisbon is roughly 93% more expensive than in Hermanus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Hermanus is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$13.33 R 222

24.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$34.96 R 583

76.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$5.74 R 95.7

97.91%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.32 R 38.69

28.02%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.09 R 18.20

110.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.87 R 14.49

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.48 R 41.39

37.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.68 R 44.69

23.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.16 R 19.32

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.10 R 18.29

73.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.74 R 29.00

-13.22%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.57 R 42.85

56.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.38 R 140

54.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$4.90 R 81.7

58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$7.12 R 119

149.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.87 R 31.12

22.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.62 R 26.98

6.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.74 R 29.00

6.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.72 R 28.66

50.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.54 R 25.59

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.40 R 23.27

40.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.25 R 20.75

17.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.15 R 19.15

-37.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.23 R 53.8

103.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.81 R 114

-17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.47 R 24.49

-7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.95 R 32.55

9.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.48 R 24.74

57.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.59 R 9.86

552.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.95 R 15.88

12.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$11.88 R 198

38.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.48 R 24.70

48.65%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$35.8K R 595.8K

-4.38%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$34.1K R 568.1K

13.58%

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

$161 €145

$151 R 2,514

6.84%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$35.84 R 597

-48.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$40.58 R 676

-19.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$21.59 R 360

106.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$14.20 R 237

34.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$5.93 R 98.8

61.89%

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

$668 €600

$247 R 4,114

170.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,649 R 94.1K

211.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$53.6 R 894

90.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$33.22 R 554

33.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$103 R 1,720

-4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$87.4 R 1,457

41.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$400 R 6,667

301.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$372 R 6,197

220.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$746 R 12.4K

276.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$739 R 12.3K

172.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$860 R 14.3K

811.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$697 R 11.6K

556.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.94

-64.81%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hermanus: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Hermanus

$372 32.6% 68.8% $818

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Hermanus

$196 17.2% 27.9% $76

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Hermanus

$177 15.5% 26.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Hermanus

$227 19.9% 7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Hermanus

$125 10.9% 24.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Hermanus

$33 2.9% 47.5% $30

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Hermanus

$11 * 1% 82.1% $52

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 $400 in Hermanus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $35 in Hermanus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $196 per month, with Hermanus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

01:45 1:45 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

56,139

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Hermanus 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Hermanus

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 Hermanus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hermanus is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,714 in Hermanus to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $400 in Hermanus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,143 in Hermanus – Hermanus is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,143 in Hermanus versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hermanus but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Hermanus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Hermanus are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.