Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lubumbashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lubumbashi: $1,228 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Lubumbashi
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Lubumbashi Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Lubumbashi

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lubumbashi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,228 in Lubumbashi.

Lisbon $2,223
Lubumbashi $1,228

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,727 in Lubumbashi.

Lisbon $3,271
Lubumbashi $2,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,226 in Lubumbashi.

Lisbon $4,319
Lubumbashi $4,226

Living in Lisbon is roughly 81% more expensive than in Lubumbashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Lubumbashi is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$9.91 CDF 22.5K

66.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$99.1 CDF 224.6K

-38.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.92 CDF 22.5K

13.61%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.03 CDF 9,131

-24.07%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.08 CDF 2,458

109.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.99 CDF 4,508

70.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.54 CDF 5,756

33.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.96 CDF 4,446

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.22 CDF 2,764

52.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.18 CDF 7,204

-51.89%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.10 CDF 4,761

88.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$14.77 CDF 33.5K

-13.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$7.70 CDF 17.4K

2.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$15.52 CDF 35.2K

9.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.96 CDF 11.2K

-54.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$3.07 CDF 6,960

-43.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.88 CDF 11.1K

-62.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.98 CDF 6,745

-13.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.56 CDF 5,810

-27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.66 CDF 6,020

-24.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.98 CDF 2,220

46.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.22 CDF 2,774

-32.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$4.07 CDF 9,227

61.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.73 CDF 28.8K

-55.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.15 CDF 2,600

11.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.08 CDF 4,719

-0.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.01 CDF 2,289

132.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.47 CDF 10.1K

-10.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$9.87 CDF 22.4K

68.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.48 CDF 3,361

54.05%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$25.1K CDF 56.8M

34.41%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$30.6K CDF 69.3M

28.50%

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

$167 €149

$99.9 CDF 226.3K

67.69%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$20.13 CDF 45.6K

-6.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$60.3 CDF 136.6K

-45.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$73.6 CDF 166.8K

-37.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

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

$677 €602

$132 CDF 297.9K

414.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$4,456 CDF 10.1M

279.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$22.35 CDF 50.6K

352.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$22.55 CDF 51.1K

102.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$59.1 CDF 133.9K

69.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$86.5 CDF 196.0K

41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$862 CDF 2.0M

87.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$376 CDF 851.7K

218.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,522 CDF 5.7M

13.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,051 CDF 4.6M

-2.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,012 CDF 2.3M

648.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$499 CDF 1.1M

763.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,064 CDF 2.4M

49.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lubumbashi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Lubumbashi

$376 30.6% 68.6% $821

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Lubumbashi

$327 26.6% 21.4% $58

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Lubumbashi

$177 * 14.4% 27% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Lubumbashi

$180 14.7% 17.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Lubumbashi

$86 7% 48.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Lubumbashi

$74 * 6% 12.1% $7.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Lubumbashi

$8.5 * 0.7% 86.5% $54

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $862 in Lubumbashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 49% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $99.0 in Lubumbashi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $327 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇩 Lubumbashi

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,139,064

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CDF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Lubumbashi 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Lubumbashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Lubumbashi differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,228 including rent). Lubumbashi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $862 in Lubumbashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,228 in Lubumbashi – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,228 in Lubumbashi versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lubumbashi but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.