Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rustenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rustenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $797 in Rustenburg.

Lisbon $2,210
Rustenburg $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,316 in Rustenburg.

Lisbon $3,275
Rustenburg $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,834 in Rustenburg.

Lisbon $4,341
Rustenburg $1,834

Living in Lisbon is roughly 177% more expensive than in Rustenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Rustenburg is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$4.87 R 81.3

241.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$45.11 R 754

36.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.22 R 104

82.64%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.66 R 27.75

78.92%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.02 R 17.03

124.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.50 R 8.38

248.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.48 R 24.77

129.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.13 R 35.57

55.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.03 R 17.19

12.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.90 R 15.00

112.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.70 R 28.40

-11.18%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.61 R 43.60

54.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.57 R 127

70.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$5.04 R 84.3

54.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$6.28 R 105

182.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.78 R 29.73

29.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.57 R 26.20

10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.80 R 30.00

3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.07 R 17.94

142.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.31 R 21.94

38.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.08 R 18.12

82.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.34 R 22.34

9.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.86 R 14.34

-16.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.07 R 51.2

114.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.02 R 101

-6.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.59 R 9.80

130.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.92 R 15.34

132.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.81 R 13.60

375.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.89 R 14.86

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$14.27 R 238

15.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.45 R 24.16

51.72%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$31.6K R 527.3K

8.34%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.7K R 529.2K

22.26%

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

$161 €144

$76.1 R 1,271

111.96%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$13.47 R 225

36.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$37.07 R 619

-11.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$38.12 R 637

16.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$6.11 R 102

212.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$4.90 R 81.9

95.92%

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

$668 €598

$110 R 1,842

505.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,453 R 91.1K

223.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$41.73 R 697

144.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$44.31 R 740

0.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$112 R 1,863

-11.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$53.3 R 890

132.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$336 R 5,614

378.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$237 R 3,955

402.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$716 R 12.0K

293.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$515 R 8,609

290.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,065 R 17.8K

47.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

9.9

-61.11%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rustenburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Rustenburg

$237 29.7% 80.1% $953

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Rustenburg

$173 21.7% 36.6% $100

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Rustenburg

$95 12% 60.7% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Rustenburg

$127 15.9% 40.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rustenburg

$113 14.2% 32% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Rustenburg

$48 6% 24.8% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7% 91.7% $58

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 $336 in Rustenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 48% 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 $45 in Rustenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $173 per month, with Rustenburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

549,575

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Rustenburg 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Rustenburg

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 Rustenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $797 in Rustenburg, so Rustenburg is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $336 in Rustenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% 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 $797 in Rustenburg – Rustenburg is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $797 in Rustenburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg 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.

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