Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rarotonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $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.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

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Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rarotonga

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

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

Lisbon $2,210
Rarotonga $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,581 in Rarotonga.

Lisbon $3,275
Rarotonga $1,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,045 in Rarotonga.

Lisbon $4,341
Rarotonga $2,045

Living in Lisbon is roughly 98% more expensive than in Rarotonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$14.31 NZ$25.50

16.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$51.0 NZ$90.9

21.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$5.70 NZ$10.15

99.30%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.33 NZ$5.93

-10.81%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.21 NZ$3.93

3.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.25 NZ$4.01

-22.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.05 NZ$8.99

-32.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.06 NZ$9.02

-34.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.80 NZ$4.98

-58.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.91 NZ$5.19

-34.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$6.22 NZ$11.08

-35.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.20 NZ$12.83

79.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$11.49 NZ$20.47

-42.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$11.19 NZ$19.95

-49.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.34 NZ$5.96

-59.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$5.06 NZ$9.01

-57.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.89 NZ$5.15

-19.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$20.16 NZ$35.93

-80.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$33.69 NZ$60.1

-51.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.68 NZ$3.00

30.95%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$11.4K NZ$20.3K

200.59%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

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

$161 €145

$101 NZ$180

59.40%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$48.92 NZ$87.2

-62.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$103 NZ$183

-68.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

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

$668 €600

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$446 NZ$795

260.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$455 NZ$811

161.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$683 NZ$1,217

311.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$633 NZ$1,128

218.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,985 NZ$7,102

-60.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rarotonga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Rarotonga

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Rarotonga

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Rarotonga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Rarotonga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rarotonga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Rarotonga

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Rarotonga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $446 in Rarotonga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $51 in Rarotonga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $153 per month, with Rarotonga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

07:41 7:41 AM

10 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,373

💱 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 Rarotonga 16,610 km ≈ 21 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 Rarotonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Rarotonga differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,117 including rent). Rarotonga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% 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 $446 in Rarotonga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rarotonga – a meal for two runs $51 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,117 in Rarotonga – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rarotonga 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 Rarotonga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.