Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mbeya

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $426 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
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Mbeya Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Mbeya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $426 in Mbeya.

Lisbon $2,202
Mbeya $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $656 in Mbeya.

Lisbon $3,274
Mbeya $656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $887 in Mbeya.

Lisbon $4,346
Mbeya $887

Living in Lisbon is roughly 417% more expensive than in Mbeya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Mbeya is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.68 TZS 59.4K

174.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.77 TZS 20.4K

41.83%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.52 TZS 3,989

105.26%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.37 TZS 958

513.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.37 TZS 964

370.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.72 TZS 1,882

375.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.55 TZS 1,435

112.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.93 TZS 2,430

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.92 TZS 2,414

67.39%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.32 TZS 6,067

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$3.80 TZS 9,949

239.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.72 TZS 9,734

112.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$3.30 TZS 8,643

434.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.15 TZS 3,003

96.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$0.78 TZS 2,051

124.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.99 TZS 2,581

90.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$0.73 TZS 1,917

250.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.97 TZS 2,538

90.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.78 TZS 2,053

152.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.56 TZS 1,465

158.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.72 TZS 1,883

6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$1.14 TZS 2,998

488.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$3.72 TZS 9,744

52.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.78 TZS 2,045

75.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.16 TZS 3,038

81.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.40 TZS 1,036

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.10 TZS 2,891

259.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.85 TZS 4,834

-43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$2.61 TZS 6,831

557.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.22 TZS 3,204

79.51%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

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

$38.3K €34.0K

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

$164 €146

$23.68 TZS 62.0K

591.77%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$18.83 TZS 49.3K

-1.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$46.09 TZS 120.7K

-28.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$37.78 TZS 98.9K

21.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.50 TZS 24.9K

2.63%

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

$684 €608

$191 TZS 500.6K

257.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$1,129 TZS 3.0M

1461.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$11.42 TZS 29.9K

808.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$9.23 TZS 24.2K

400.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$19.08 TZS 50.0K

422.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$26.12 TZS 68.4K

377.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$114 TZS 297.4K

1299.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$76.4 TZS 200.0K

1430.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$187 TZS 491.0K

1420.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$112 TZS 292.3K

1686.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$191 TZS 501.5K

735.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-70.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mbeya: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Mbeya

$76 17.9% 93.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Mbeya

$115 26.9% 58% $158

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Mbeya

$48 * 11.3% 80.6% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Mbeya

$89 20.8% 58.8% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Mbeya

$30 7% 82.4% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Mbeya

$57 13.3% 13.1% $8.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8% 81.1% $51

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $114 in Mbeya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 736% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $23.00 in Mbeya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $115 per month, with Mbeya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

541,603

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Mbeya 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Mbeya

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 Mbeya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Mbeya differ by about 417% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $426 including rent). Mbeya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 736% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $114 in Mbeya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 138% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $426 in Mbeya – a 417% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $426 in Mbeya versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mbeya but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mbeya 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 Mbeya 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 Mbeya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 417% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.