Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Masterton

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Masterton, New Zealand
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Masterton
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$841
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Masterton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $841 in Masterton.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Masterton $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,446 in Masterton.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Masterton $1,446

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,051 in Masterton.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Masterton $2,051

Living in Lisbon is roughly 163% more expensive than in Masterton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Masterton is 38% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$9.26 NZ$16.44
79.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$65.0 NZ$115
-4.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$8.77 NZ$15.58
29.53%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$3.35 NZ$5.95
-11.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.95 NZ$3.46
17.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.11 NZ$1.97
56.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$3.96 NZ$7.04
-14.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$3.40 NZ$6.04
-2.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.46 NZ$2.59
-20.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$2.13 NZ$3.77
-10.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.10 NZ$1.95
37.27%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$6.49 NZ$11.51
-38.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$8.59 NZ$15.25
50.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$9.94 NZ$17.65
-21.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$15.03 NZ$26.69
18.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.22 NZ$3.93
3.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.81 NZ$3.21
-4.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$3.04 NZ$5.40
-38.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$4.48 NZ$7.95
-42.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.51 NZ$2.69
20.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.09 NZ$1.94
80.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.71 NZ$3.04
-14.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.52 NZ$0.93
38.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$19.90 NZ$35.33
-66.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$11.48 NZ$20.39
-51.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$0.88 NZ$1.56
54.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.22 NZ$2.17
75.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$2.23 NZ$3.97
4.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$1.89 NZ$3.36
103.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.80 NZ$3.20
-40.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$33.98 NZ$60.3
-51.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.73 NZ$3.08
27.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$22.9K NZ$40.6K
49.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$23.9K NZ$42.4K
62.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$56.0 NZ$99.5
187.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$29.91 NZ$53.1
-38.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$53.4 NZ$94.8
-38.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$42.36 NZ$75.2
5.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
$8.22 NZ$14.59
132.36%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$9.47 NZ$16.81
1.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$1,038 NZ$1,844
-35.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$13.3K NZ$23.6K
32.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$56.7 NZ$101
80.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$28.47 NZ$50.6
56.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$105 NZ$186
-5.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$141 NZ$250
-12.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$1,019 NZ$1,809
176.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Masterton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$2,339 NZ$4,152
-32.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
5.39
-28.57%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Masterton
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Masterton
$293 7.5% $21
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Masterton
$179 26% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Masterton
$139 34.4% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Masterton
$149 10.3% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Masterton
$61 3.8% $2.4
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Masterton
$20 * 68.6% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $65 in Masterton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $293 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇳🇿 Masterton
🕒 Local time
20:34 8:34 PM
09:34 9:34 AM
13 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
26,800
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Masterton 19,540 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Masterton

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 Masterton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Masterton?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $841 in Masterton, so Masterton is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Masterton?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $841 in Masterton – Masterton is about 62% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $841 in Masterton versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Masterton?
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.
Is Lisbon or Masterton safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Masterton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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