Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and North Shore

For one person, living is cheaper in North Shore: $2,123 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in North Shore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,123 in North Shore.

Lisbon $2,210
North Shore $2,123

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,945 in North Shore.

Lisbon $3,275
North Shore $2,945

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,766 in North Shore.

Lisbon $4,341
North Shore $3,766

Living in Lisbon is roughly 4% more expensive than in North Shore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, North Shore 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$13.99 NZ$24.86

19.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$75.3 NZ$134

-18.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.51 NZ$15.11

33.49%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.44 NZ$6.11

-13.66%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.99 NZ$3.54

15.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.83 NZ$3.24

-4.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.68 NZ$11.86

-49.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.77 NZ$10.25

-42.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.62 NZ$2.88

-28.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.34 NZ$2.38

42.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-17.03%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.76 NZ$10.23

-30.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.01 NZ$14.23

61.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.01 NZ$17.78

-22.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$11.77 NZ$20.92

50.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.68 NZ$4.77

-14.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.16 NZ$5.62

-41.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$6.03 NZ$10.72

-57.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.08 NZ$3.69

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.52 NZ$2.69

29.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.50 NZ$4.44

-41.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.93 NZ$1.64

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$25.31 NZ$44.96

-74.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.50 NZ$18.65

-46.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.74 NZ$4.87

-50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.29 NZ$5.84

-34.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.32 NZ$4.13

0.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$61.4 NZ$109

-27.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.31 NZ$4.11

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.97 NZ$3.50

-45.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$32.86 NZ$58.4

-49.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.74 NZ$3.09

26.44%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$26.9K NZ$47.7K

27.22%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

75.10%

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

$161 €144

$182 NZ$323

-11.33%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$26.22 NZ$46.58

-29.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$51.4 NZ$91.3

-36.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$27.58 NZ$48.99

61.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$12.07 NZ$21.44

-20.46%

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

$668 €598

$686 NZ$1,219

-2.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$14.5K NZ$25.8K

21.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$69.1 NZ$123

47.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$37.67 NZ$66.9

18.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$95.3 NZ$169

3.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$107 NZ$191

15.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,328 NZ$2,360

21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,042 NZ$1,850

14.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,240 NZ$3,980

25.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,326 NZ$2,355

51.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

6.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

-24.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,856 NZ$5,074

-44.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.63

-41.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for North Shore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

North Shore

$1K 49% 12.5% $149

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

North Shore

$310 14.6% 13.8% $38

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

North Shore

$239 11.3% 1.5% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

North Shore

$259 12.2% 22.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

North Shore

$139 6.6% 16.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

North Shore

$52 2.4% 18.9% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

North Shore

$83 3.9% 31.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,328 in North Shore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Shore pays 81% 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 $75 in North Shore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $310 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇿 North Shore

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

18:26 6:26 PM

13 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

258,697

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.506 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.506 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon North Shore 19,610 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
North Shore

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 North Shore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,123 in North Shore, so North Shore is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,328 in North Shore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $686 in North Shore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though North Shore gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 North Shore are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.