Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sandton

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandton: $1,235 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Sandton
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Sandton Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sandton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sandton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,235 in Sandton.

Lisbon $2,210
Sandton $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,888 in Sandton.

Lisbon $3,275
Sandton $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,540 in Sandton.

Lisbon $4,341
Sandton $2,540

Living in Lisbon is roughly 79% more expensive than in Sandton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sandton is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$10.73 R 179

55.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$45.71 R 763

35.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.62 R 93.9

102.14%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.44 R 40.76

21.72%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.07 R 17.83

114.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.84 R 13.94

107.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.45 R 40.97

38.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.97 R 49.65

11.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.20 R 20.05

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.07 R 17.84

78.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.76 R 29.33

-14.20%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.72 R 45.45

47.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.86 R 148

46.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.86 R 81.2

59.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$7.07 R 118

151.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.09 R 34.86

10.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.75 R 29.22

-1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.75 R 29.13

6.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.81 R 30.13

43.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.50 R 25.11

21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.78 R 29.71

10.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.23 R 20.47

19.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.30 R 21.65

-44.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.16 R 52.8

108.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.18 R 103

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.55 R 25.94

-12.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.89 R 31.60

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.29 R 4.83

1227.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.88 R 14.62

21.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$14.21 R 237

15.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.49 R 24.92

47.65%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$36.0K R 601.2K

-5.06%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$34.0K R 567.0K

14.01%

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

$161 €144

$165 R 2,760

-2.49%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$38.25 R 639

-51.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$37.39 R 624

-12.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$36.75 R 613

21.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.10 R 119

35.21%

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

$668 €598

$266 R 4,441

150.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,302 R 121.9K

141.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$59.7 R 997

70.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$45.22 R 755

-1.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$94.9 R 1,584

3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$89.4 R 1,492

38.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$540 R 9,015

197.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$448 R 7,475

165.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$970 R 16.2K

189.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$844 R 14.1K

138.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$842 R 14.1K

831.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$733 R 12.2K

524.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,865 R 31.1K

-15.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-65.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sandton: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sandton

$448 36.3% 62.4% $742

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sandton

$202 16.4% 25.8% $70

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sandton

$158 12.8% 34.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sandton

$241 19.5% 13.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sandton

$130 10.5% 21.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sandton

$51 4.1% 20.1% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sandton

$4.7 * 0.4% 92.6% $59

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 $540 in Sandton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandton pays 18% 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 $46 in Sandton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $202 per month, with Sandton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Sandton

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

222,415

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 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 = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Sandton 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Sandton

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 Sandton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,235 in Sandton, so Sandton is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% 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 $540 in Sandton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% 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 $1,235 in Sandton – Sandton is about 44% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sandton 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 Sandton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.