Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kuruman

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuruman: $1,162 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuruman
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Kuruman Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Kuruman

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kuruman

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,162 in Kuruman.

Lisbon $2,206
Kuruman $1,162

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,815 in Kuruman.

Lisbon $3,276
Kuruman $1,815

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,468 in Kuruman.

Lisbon $4,346
Kuruman $2,468

Living in Lisbon is roughly 90% more expensive than in Kuruman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Kuruman is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$10.85 R 178

55.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$37.97 R 622

60.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$5.59 R 91.6

96.42%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.85 R 30.31

64.86%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.14 R 18.71

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.59 R 9.60

184.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.45 R 40.19

40.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.68 R 43.91

45.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.14 R 18.73

0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.31 R 21.43

44.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.78 R 29.11

-15.73%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$4.26 R 69.8

-3.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$8.52 R 140

52.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$5.05 R 82.8

59.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$7.49 R 123

138.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.85 R 30.34

22.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.63 R 26.66

6.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.77 R 29.04

2.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.66 R 27.26

62.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.43 R 23.42

23.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.42 R 23.26

36.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.18 R 19.30

23.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.18 R 19.26

-35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$3.64 R 59.7

82.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$4.93 R 80.8

14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.45 R 23.70

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.89 R 31.01

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.56 R 25.59

47.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$0.85 R 13.97

368.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.82 R 13.43

-21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

$13.01 R 213

45.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.49 R 24.38

53.02%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$30.4K R 498.4K

9.70%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$30.8K R 504.9K

24.95%

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

$158 €141

$153 R 2,514

3.12%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$34.83 R 571

-49.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$37.52 R 615

-16.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$32.98 R 540

35.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

$10.85 R 178

74.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$6.48 R 106

47.84%

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

$674 €600

$265 R 4,339

154.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$6,306 R 103.3K

197.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$54.2 R 887

88.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$34.07 R 558

34.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$98.2 R 1,609

4.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$85.0 R 1,392

43.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$438 R 7,179

274.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$403 R 6,609

194.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$650 R 10.6K

334.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$836 R 13.7K

141.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

$799 R 13.1K

880.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

$679 R 11.1K

592.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

$1,098 R 18.0K

53.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

10.92

-65.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kuruman: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kuruman

$403 34.7% 66% $784

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Kuruman

$203 17.5% 26% $71

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Kuruman

$150 12.9% 38.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Kuruman

$226 19.4% 9.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Kuruman

$122 10.5% 27.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kuruman

$46 4% 28% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Kuruman

$11 * 1% 81.5% $49

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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $438 in Kuruman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 54% 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: $61 in Lisbon vs $38 in Kuruman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $203 per month, with Kuruman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Kuruman

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

9,093

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Kuruman 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Kuruman

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 Kuruman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,162 in Kuruman, so Kuruman is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $438 in Kuruman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $265 in Kuruman. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuruman – a meal for two runs $38 versus $61 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,162 in Kuruman versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kuruman but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kuruman 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 Kuruman are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kuruman wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.