Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Paihia

For one person, living is cheaper in Paihia: $1,992 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Paihia
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Paihia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Paihia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Paihia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,992 in Paihia.

Lisbon $2,210
Paihia $1,992

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,026 in Paihia.

Lisbon $3,275
Paihia $3,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,061 in Paihia.

Lisbon $4,341
Paihia $4,061

Living in Lisbon is roughly 11% more expensive than in Paihia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Paihia 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$14.21 NZ$25.24

17.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$33.59 NZ$59.6

83.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$8.73 NZ$15.50

30.13%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.51 NZ$6.24

-15.38%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.98 NZ$3.51

15.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$6.69 NZ$11.88

-49.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$6.94 NZ$12.33

-52.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.01 NZ$3.56

-42.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.27 NZ$4.03

-15.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.89 NZ$3.36

-20.11%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$6.39 NZ$11.35

-37.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.79 NZ$15.60

47.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.20 NZ$18.11

-23.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$17.11 NZ$30.37

3.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.92 NZ$5.19

-21.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.07 NZ$3.67

-16.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.03 NZ$5.37

-38.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.76 NZ$10.23

-55.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-13.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.54 NZ$2.73

27.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-28.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.09 NZ$1.94

-33.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$28.05 NZ$49.80

-76.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.27 NZ$18.23

-45.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.79 NZ$4.95

-51.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.35 NZ$5.94

-36.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.11 NZ$3.75

10.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$106 NZ$188

-57.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.71 NZ$3.04

125.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.00 NZ$3.55

-46.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$32.17 NZ$57.1

-48.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.90 NZ$3.38

15.79%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$27.4K NZ$48.7K

24.67%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

77.39%

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

$161 €144

$186 NZ$330

-13.17%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$27.00 NZ$47.94

-31.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$51.8 NZ$91.9

-36.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$42.96 NZ$76.3

3.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$12.32 NZ$21.87

-22.08%

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

$668 €598

$1,087 NZ$1,930

-38.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$19.8K NZ$35.1K

-10.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$79.5 NZ$141

28.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$41.10 NZ$73.0

8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$94.2 NZ$167

4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$110 NZ$196

12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,015 NZ$1,801

58.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$798 NZ$1,418

49.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,691 NZ$3,001

66.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,591 NZ$2,824

26.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,841 NZ$8,594

61.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$3,767 NZ$6,689

21.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.37

-28.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Paihia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Paihia

$798 40.1% 32.9% $392

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Paihia

$345 17.3% 26.5% $72

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Paihia

$245 12.3% 0.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Paihia

$264 13.3% 24.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Paihia

$146 7.4% 11.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Paihia

$68 3.4% 6.1% $3.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Paihia

$126 6.3% 99.3% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,015 in Paihia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $34 in Paihia. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $345, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇿 Paihia

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

05:30 5:30 AM

13 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,800

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Lisbon Paihia 19,540 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

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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 Paihia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,992 in Paihia, so Paihia is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,988 in Paihia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,015 in Paihia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,087 in Paihia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Paihia 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 Paihia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.