Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Queenstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,370 in Queenstown, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Queenstown despite lower rent and utilities.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Queenstown
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Queenstown Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Queenstown

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Queenstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,370 in Queenstown.

Lisbon $2,210
Queenstown $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,764 in Queenstown.

Lisbon $3,275
Queenstown $3,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,158 in Queenstown.

Lisbon $4,341
Queenstown $5,158

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 7% less than in Queenstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Queenstown 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$17.26 NZ$30.77

-3.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$86.8 NZ$155

-28.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$9.76 NZ$17.39

16.39%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.28 NZ$5.84

-9.45%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.29 NZ$4.08

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.08 NZ$3.71

-16.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.75 NZ$12.02

-49.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.19 NZ$11.04

-46.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.14 NZ$3.81

-45.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.96 NZ$3.49

-2.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.78 NZ$3.17

-15.17%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.80 NZ$10.33

-30.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$8.53 NZ$15.21

51.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.16 NZ$18.11

-23.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$15.81 NZ$28.18

12.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.92 NZ$5.21

-21.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.40 NZ$4.28

-27.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$3.89 NZ$6.94

-52.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$5.50 NZ$9.80

-52.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.55 NZ$6.33

-48.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.84 NZ$3.28

7.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.42 NZ$4.31

-39.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.97 NZ$3.50

-63.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$27.67 NZ$49.31

-76.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$9.24 NZ$16.47

-39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$4.50 NZ$8.02

-69.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$6.63 NZ$11.81

-67.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.88 NZ$3.35

23.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$128 NZ$229

-65.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.69 NZ$4.80

43.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.92 NZ$3.43

-44.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$29.48 NZ$52.5

-44.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.70 NZ$3.03

29.41%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$26.7K NZ$47.5K

28.27%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$22.5K NZ$40.1K

71.97%

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

$161 €145

$111 NZ$197

45.86%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$28.93 NZ$51.6

-36.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$51.8 NZ$92.4

-36.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$55.9 NZ$99.6

-20.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$26.64 NZ$47.47

-28.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$11.17 NZ$19.91

-14.06%

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

$668 €600

$983 NZ$1,752

-32.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,685 NZ$13.7K

129.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$60.0 NZ$107

70.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$46.90 NZ$83.6

-5.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$91.0 NZ$162

8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$137 NZ$245

-10.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,523 NZ$2,714

5.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$1,162 NZ$2,072

2.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$2,918 NZ$5,200

-3.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$2,294 NZ$4,089

-12.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$7,612 NZ$13.6K

2.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$5,271 NZ$9,395

-13.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,054 NZ$5,443

-48.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.12

-37.09%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Queenstown

$1.2K 49% 2.3% $28

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Queenstown

$369 15.6% 35.5% $97

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Queenstown

$270 11.4% 11.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Queenstown

$191 8.1% 9.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Queenstown

$151 6.4% 9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Queenstown

$78 3.3% 22.7% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Queenstown

$148 6.3% 135% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,523 in Queenstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queenstown pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $87 in Queenstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $369 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇿 Queenstown

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

11:54 11:54 AM

13 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

15,450

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 NZD = 0.561 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Queenstown 19,290 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Queenstown

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 Queenstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,370 in Queenstown, so Lisbon is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,523 in Queenstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $983 in Queenstown. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Queenstown. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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