Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $2,203 per month in Lisbon vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Lisbon $2,203
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $3,237 per month in Lisbon vs $2,192 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Lisbon $3,237
Johannesburg $2,192

A family of three spends $4,272 per month in Lisbon vs $2,978 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Lisbon $4,272
Johannesburg $2,978

Lisbon costs about 57% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lisbon and Johannesburg sit above the global median – Lisbon by 64%, Johannesburg by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.17

$11.96 R 198

42.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €55.9

$44.08 R 731

42.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.18

$7.41 R 123

54.12%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.75

$2.47 R 40.89

25.10%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$1.17 R 19.46

102.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.87 R 14.49

90.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.26 R 37.50

53.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.78 R 46.10

18.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.34 R 22.23

-12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.24 R 20.51

50.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.78 R 29.49

-14.61%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$2.64 R 43.82

46.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.48

$8.42 R 140

52.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$5.36 R 88.9

48.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.72

$8.43 R 140

109.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.05 R 33.94

10.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.80 R 29.81

-2.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.84 R 30.48

2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.03 R 33.64

21.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.71 R 28.38

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.83 R 30.31

13.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.41 R 23.46

-1.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.32 R 21.94

-38.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$3.38 R 56.1

103.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$5.99 R 99.3

-7.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.84 R 30.46

-27.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.44 R 40.49

-11.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.05 R 34.02

9.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.25

$89.5 R 1,485

-49.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$0.82 R 13.65

387.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.93 R 15.49

15.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.74

$14.67 R 243

12.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.50 R 24.90

50.67%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$36.0K R 597.7K

-7.02%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$32.7K R 542.6K

23.74%

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

$164 €146

$227 R 3,770

-28.04%

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

$18.54 €16.53

$37.98 R 630

-51.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.61

$36.49 R 605

-8.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.02

$36.84 R 611

24.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.77

$17.39 R 288

8.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.44

$7.84 R 130

20.79%

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

$690 €615

$238 R 3,951

189.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$5,563 R 92.3K

203.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$58.6 R 972

78.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.37

$46.52 R 772

-2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.2

$109 R 1,805

-9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$105 R 1,747

17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,411

$496 R 8,220

219.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,078

$422 R 6,995

186.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,526

$979 R 16.2K

189.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,751

$892 R 14.8K

120.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,815

$964 R 16.0K

693.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,951

$757 R 12.5K

485.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,402

$1,755 R 29.1K

-10.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

10.91

-65.26%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Johannesburg

$422 29.9% 65.1% $787

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Johannesburg

$216 15.3% 20.7% $56

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Johannesburg

$173 12.2% 30.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Johannesburg

$302 21.4% 40.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Johannesburg

$144 10.2% 14.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Johannesburg

$53 3.7% 19.1% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 62.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,583 in Lisbon versus $496 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 12% higher in Johannesburg, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Lisbon versus $44.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $216 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

4,434,827

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Johannesburg 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 57% more than Johannesburg, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,304 per month in Lisbon and $2,109 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Lisbon and $44.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,203 in Lisbon and $1,406 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 57%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Johannesburg, where all-in costs run around $1,406, than in Lisbon at $2,203. In Johannesburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Johannesburg costs $1,406 versus $2,203 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Johannesburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.