Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,562 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,562 in Palmerston North.

Lisbon $2,223
Palmerston North $1,562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,537 in Palmerston North.

Lisbon $3,271
Palmerston North $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,511 in Palmerston North.

Lisbon $4,319
Palmerston North $3,511

Living in Lisbon is roughly 42% more expensive than in Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Palmerston North 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$13.50 NZ$23.87

22.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$63.7 NZ$113

-3.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$8.80 NZ$15.56

28.07%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.13 NZ$5.54

-2.24%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.36 NZ$4.18

-4.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.68 NZ$2.97

2.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$6.43 NZ$11.38

-47.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.52 NZ$11.53

-47.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-39.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.14 NZ$3.78

-13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.37 NZ$2.42

11.68%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-18.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$6.41 NZ$11.34

99.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.50 NZ$16.80

-16.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.78 NZ$19.06

57.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.54 NZ$4.48

-10.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-21.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.30 NZ$4.07

-19.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$5.53 NZ$9.78

-53.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.41 NZ$2.49

31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.86 NZ$1.53

134.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-16.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.75 NZ$1.33

9.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-70.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$7.91 NZ$13.99

-28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.65 NZ$4.69

-51.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.78 NZ$4.91

-25.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-40.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$82.3 NZ$146

-46.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.87 NZ$3.30

113.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-38.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$16.63 NZ$29.40

0.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.64 NZ$2.90

39.02%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

56.15%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

64.24%

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

$167 €149

$68.2 NZ$121

145.51%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$32.09 NZ$56.8

-41.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$34.64 NZ$61.3

-4.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$21.79 NZ$38.54

111.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$14.08 NZ$24.90

36.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$11.60 NZ$20.52

-15.17%

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

$677 €602

$1,034 NZ$1,829

-34.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

97.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$69.5 NZ$123

45.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$27.70 NZ$48.98

65.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$83.1 NZ$147

20.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$82.5 NZ$146

48.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$906 NZ$1,602

78.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$639 NZ$1,129

87.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,587 NZ$2,807

80.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,311 NZ$2,318

51.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,023 NZ$3,577

274.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,836 NZ$3,247

134.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,494 NZ$4,411

-36.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.39

-28.57%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9% 46.6% $558

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 5.1% $14

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 3.7% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 38.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 28.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 31.5% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 72.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $906 in Palmerston North. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $64.0 in Palmerston North for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $283 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

12 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

90,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, 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).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Palmerston North 19,570 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Palmerston North

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 Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Palmerston North differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,562 including rent). Palmerston North is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Palmerston North. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $906 in Palmerston North. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $1,034 in Palmerston North. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.