Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Pietermaritzburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Pietermaritzburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg.

Lisbon $2,210
Pietermaritzburg $1,033

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,555 in Pietermaritzburg.

Lisbon $3,275
Pietermaritzburg $1,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,077 in Pietermaritzburg.

Lisbon $4,341
Pietermaritzburg $2,077

Living in Lisbon is roughly 114% more expensive than in Pietermaritzburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Pietermaritzburg is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$7.74 R 129

115.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$35.63 R 594

73.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$5.80 R 96.6

95.86%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.36 R 39.27

25.85%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.16 R 19.40

97.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.03 R 17.15

68.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.15 R 35.77

58.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.51 R 41.75

31.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.33 R 22.16

-12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.92 R 15.33

107.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.70 R 28.31

-11.18%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.16 R 52.7

27.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.22 R 120

79.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$4.94 R 82.3

57.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$6.36 R 106

179.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.04 R 34.00

12.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.94 R 32.28

-10.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.32 R 38.74

-19.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.03 R 33.90

27.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.78 R 29.68

2.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.81 R 30.09

8.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.49 R 24.78

-1.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.04 R 17.28

-30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.14 R 52.3

109.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$3.92 R 65.4

43.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.42 R 23.70

-4.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.75 R 29.20

22.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.86 R 47.70

-18.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$19.71 R 328

126.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.59 R 26.52

142.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.06 R 17.69

0.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.44 R 23.96

52.78%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$26.5K R 442.3K

28.80%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.8K R 446.3K

44.59%

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

$161 €145

$205 R 3,416

-21.34%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$32.46 R 541

-43.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$37.19 R 620

-11.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$43.80 R 730

1.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$3.05 R 50.9

526.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.84 R 80.6

98.35%

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

$668 €600

$177 R 2,949

277.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,103 R 85.0K

245.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$56.7 R 945

79.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$34.35 R 572

29.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$114 R 1,897

-13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$69.9 R 1,165

76.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$216 R 3,606

643.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$217 R 3,613

448.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$576 R 9,598

388.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$405 R 6,753

396.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$5,914 R 98.5K

32.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$148 R 2,470

2987.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,058 R 17.6K

48.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.67

-67.01%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21% 81.8% $973

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8% 28.6% $78

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8% 45.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6% 29.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12% 25.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2% 16.1% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7% 39.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $216 in Pietermaritzburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 49% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $36 in Pietermaritzburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $194 per month, with Pietermaritzburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

618,536

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Pietermaritzburg 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Pietermaritzburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Pietermaritzburg differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,033 including rent). Pietermaritzburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $216 in Pietermaritzburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $177 in Pietermaritzburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pietermaritzburg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pietermaritzburg 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.

Expats usually find Pietermaritzburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.