Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Oamaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,809 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Oamaru, New Zealand
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Oamaru
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,809
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Oamaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,809 in Oamaru.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Oamaru $1,809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,753 in Oamaru.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Oamaru $2,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,698 in Oamaru.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Oamaru $3,698

Living in Lisbon is roughly 22% more expensive than in Oamaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Oamaru 33% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$14.46 NZ$25.67
15.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$68.4 NZ$121
-9.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$9.20 NZ$16.33
23.48%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$3.35 NZ$5.94
-11.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.30 NZ$4.09
-0.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.78 NZ$3.15
-2.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$6.64 NZ$11.79
-48.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$6.97 NZ$12.37
-52.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.73 NZ$3.08
-32.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.32 NZ$2.34
44.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.47 NZ$2.60
2.72%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$5.53 NZ$9.82
-27.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$7.53 NZ$13.36
71.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$8.85 NZ$15.72
-12.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$13.64 NZ$24.21
30.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.39 NZ$4.25
-3.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$2.10 NZ$3.73
-17.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.65 NZ$4.70
-29.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$2.91 NZ$5.17
-11.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.50 NZ$2.67
21.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.39 NZ$2.47
41.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$2.07 NZ$3.68
-28.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.65 NZ$1.16
10.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$24.01 NZ$42.63
-72.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$5.66 NZ$10.05
-0.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$3.42 NZ$6.08
-60.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$4.44 NZ$7.89
-51.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$2.05 NZ$3.63
13.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
$108 NZ$191
-58.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$2.58 NZ$4.58
49.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$1.72 NZ$3.06
-37.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$28.67 NZ$50.9
-42.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.62 NZ$2.88
35.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$28.8K NZ$51.2K
18.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$23.7K NZ$42.1K
63.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$157 NZ$279
2.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$20.20 NZ$35.86
-8.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$44.97 NZ$79.8
-27.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$39.17 NZ$69.6
13.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$10.03 NZ$17.81
-4.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$677 NZ$1,202
-1.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$22.4K NZ$39.7K
-21.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$57.6 NZ$102
77.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$17.36 NZ$30.83
156.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$45.93 NZ$81.6
114.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$51.0 NZ$90.6
142.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$1,042 NZ$1,850
54.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$799 NZ$1,419
48.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$1,588 NZ$2,820
77.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$1,426 NZ$2,531
41.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
$4,866 NZ$8,638
61.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
$3,783 NZ$6,716
20.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Oamaru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$1,950 NZ$3,462
-19.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
5.91
-34.86%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Oamaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Oamaru
$799 32.8% $391
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Oamaru
$277 1.6% $4.4
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Oamaru
$247 1.8% $4.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Oamaru
$222 4.7% $9.9
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Oamaru
$77 53.4% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Oamaru
$59 7.1% $4.5
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Oamaru
$127 101% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,042 in Oamaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oamaru pays 24% 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 $68 in Oamaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $277 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇳🇿 Oamaru
🕒 Local time
07:57 7:57 AM
20:57 8:57 PM
13 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
13,850
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 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 Oamaru 19,300 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Oamaru

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 Oamaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Oamaru?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,809 in Oamaru, so Oamaru is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 19% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Oamaru?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,042 in Oamaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Lisbon and in Oamaru?
A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 58% less than in Oamaru. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Oamaru?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,809 in Oamaru – Oamaru is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $2,500 go in Lisbon compared to Oamaru?
Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Oamaru gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Oamaru?
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 Oamaru safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Oamaru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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