Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Middelburg, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $1,099 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,099

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Middelburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,099 in Middelburg.

Lisbon $2,206
Middelburg $1,099

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,695 in Middelburg.

Lisbon $3,276
Middelburg $1,695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,291 in Middelburg.

Lisbon $4,346
Middelburg $2,291

Living in Lisbon is roughly 101% more expensive than in Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Middelburg is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$9.53 R 157

76.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$35.98 R 592

69.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$5.87 R 96.5

87.05%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$1.29 R 21.26

136.43%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.83 R 13.58

174.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$0.64 R 10.54

162.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$1.17 R 19.28

194.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$1.52 R 25.01

157.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.17 R 19.20

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.04 R 17.14

81.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.46 R 24.09

2.74%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$1.70 R 28.00

142.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$5.76 R 94.8

125.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$4.96 R 81.6

62.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$6.60 R 109

171.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.66 R 27.35

36.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.08 R 17.79

61.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.12 R 18.42

62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.24 R 20.35

116.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.73 R 28.38

2.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.23 R 20.27

57.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.24 R 20.37

17.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.04 R 17.10

-26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$2.39 R 39.37

178.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$4.80 R 78.9

17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.76 R 28.99

-26.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.06 R 33.85

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.42 R 23.40

61.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

$42.88 R 705

2.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.94 R 15.45

323.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.74 R 12.24

-13.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$11.57 R 190

63.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.33 R 21.95

71.43%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$34.3K R 563.7K

-2.60%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$31.9K R 525.0K

20.66%

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

$158 €141

$151 R 2,487

4.64%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$35.28 R 580

-50.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$37.41 R 615

-16.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$32.36 R 532

37.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

$12.35 R 203

53.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$6.25 R 103

53.28%

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

$674 €598

$236 R 3,879

185.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$6,077 R 100.0K

208.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$53.1 R 874

92.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$31.79 R 523

44.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$98.9 R 1,626

3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$86.8 R 1,427

40.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$398 R 6,546

312.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$361 R 5,944

228.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$719 R 11.8K

292.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$728 R 12.0K

177.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

$757 R 12.5K

934.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

$670 R 11.0K

601.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$1,193 R 19.6K

41.45%

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 Middelburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Middelburg

$361 32.9% 69.6% $826

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Middelburg

$170 15.4% 38.2% $105

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Middelburg

$124 11.3% 49.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Middelburg

$224 20.4% 8.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Middelburg

$122 11.1% 27.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Middelburg

$45 4.1% 29.7% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Middelburg

$53 4.8% 11.9% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $398 in Middelburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 41% 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 $36 in Middelburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $170 per month, with Middelburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

87,348

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Middelburg 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Middelburg

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 Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,099 in Middelburg, so Middelburg is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% 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 $398 in Middelburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $236 in Middelburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Middelburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Middelburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.