Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Plettenberg Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Plettenberg Bay: $1,117 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Plettenberg Bay
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Plettenberg Bay Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Plettenberg Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Plettenberg Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,117 in Plettenberg Bay.

Lisbon $2,210
Plettenberg Bay $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,803 in Plettenberg Bay.

Lisbon $3,275
Plettenberg Bay $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,488 in Plettenberg Bay.

Lisbon $4,341
Plettenberg Bay $2,488

Living in Lisbon is roughly 98% more expensive than in Plettenberg Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Plettenberg Bay is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$10.92 R 182

52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$41.38 R 688

49.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$5.91 R 98.2

92.22%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.14 R 35.56

38.79%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.02 R 16.91

124.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.77 R 12.83

125.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$2.77 R 46.04

22.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.09 R 34.71

58.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.12 R 18.58

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.03 R 17.20

85.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.44 R 23.89

4.86%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$2.68 R 44.55

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$8.68 R 144

49.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$5.47 R 91.0

42.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$8.29 R 138

114.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.78 R 29.64

29.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.36 R 22.56

27.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.37 R 22.87

35.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.52 R 25.29

70.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.01 R 16.89

80.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.95 R 15.81

107.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.84 R 13.98

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.02 R 16.95

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$2.86 R 47.51

130.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$4.68 R 77.9

19.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.25 R 20.87

8.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.75 R 29.13

22.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.53 R 25.42

52.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$0.59 R 9.77

552.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.47 R 7.74

127.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$3.59 R 59.8

358.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.44 R 24.02

52.78%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$35.1K R 584.8K

-2.73%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$29.4K R 489.0K

31.75%

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

$161 €144

$122 R 2,027

32.33%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$35.09 R 584

-47.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$44.10 R 734

-25.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$31.31 R 521

42.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$1.22 R 20.25

1465.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$6.35 R 106

51.18%

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

$668 €596

$148 R 2,456

352.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,983 R 99.5K

194.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$44.35 R 738

130.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$37.64 R 626

18.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$113 R 1,873

-12.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$95.5 R 1,589

29.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$688 R 11.5K

133.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$391 R 6,505

204.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$1,336 R 22.2K

110.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$893 R 14.9K

125.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$2,146 R 35.7K

265.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$1,495 R 24.9K

205.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$1,353 R 22.5K

16.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.44

-63.12%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Plettenberg Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Plettenberg Bay

$391 35% 67.1% $799

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Plettenberg Bay

$186 16.7% 31.7% $86

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Plettenberg Bay

$156 14% 35.7% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Plettenberg Bay

$201 18% 5.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Plettenberg Bay

$131 11.7% 21.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Plettenberg Bay

$44 3.9% 31% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Plettenberg Bay

$9 * 0.8% 85.7% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $688 in Plettenberg Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 16% 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 $41 in Plettenberg Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $186 per month, with Plettenberg Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Plettenberg Bay

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

38,126

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.01 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.57 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Plettenberg Bay 8,760 km ≈ 11 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 Plettenberg Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,117 in Plettenberg Bay, so Plettenberg Bay is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $688 in Plettenberg Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,117 in Plettenberg Bay – Plettenberg Bay is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Plettenberg Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Plettenberg Bay wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.