Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Springbok

For one person, living is cheaper in Springbok: $1,164 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Springbok
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Springbok Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Springbok

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Springbok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,164 in Springbok.

Lisbon $2,206
Springbok $1,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,767 in Springbok.

Lisbon $3,276
Springbok $1,767

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,371 in Springbok.

Lisbon $4,346
Springbok $2,371

Living in Lisbon is roughly 90% more expensive than in Springbok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Springbok is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$9.70 R 159

73.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$38.02 R 624

60.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$5.84 R 95.8

88.01%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$2.19 R 35.96

39.27%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.03 R 16.87

121.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.79 R 13.04

112.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.44 R 39.99

40.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.63 R 43.20

48.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.17 R 19.24

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.16 R 19.05

62.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.79 R 29.42

-16.20%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.50 R 41.06

64.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$8.15 R 134

59.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$5.43 R 89.1

48.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$6.97 R 114

156.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.79 R 29.45

26.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.67 R 27.48

4.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.73 R 28.34

5.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.67 R 27.34

61.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.44 R 23.66

22.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.37 R 22.56

41.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.14 R 18.78

28.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.21 R 19.77

-37.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$3.28 R 53.8

103.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$4.85 R 79.6

16.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.35 R 22.23

-4.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.98 R 32.52

8.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.71 R 28.12

34.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$27.99 R 459

57.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.85 R 14.01

368.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.80 R 13.16

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$11.85 R 194

59.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.53 R 25.10

49.02%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$35.1K R 576.2K

-4.96%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$33.4K R 547.3K

15.44%

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

$158 €141

$141 R 2,306

12.55%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$35.00 R 574

-49.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$37.51 R 615

-16.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$32.39 R 531

37.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$10.39 R 170

82.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$7.79 R 128

22.98%

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

$674 €599

$230 R 3,779

192.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$5,825 R 95.6K

221.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$53.9 R 884

89.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$30.91 R 507

48.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$110 R 1,810

-7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$86.4 R 1,418

41.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$361 R 5,916

354.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$396 R 6,499

199.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$625 R 10.2K

352.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$717 R 11.8K

181.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$774 R 12.7K

911.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$723 R 11.9K

549.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

10.92

-65.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Springbok: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Springbok

$396 34.1% 66.6% $791

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Springbok

$194 16.7% 29.4% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Springbok

$146 12.6% 40.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Springbok

$213 18.3% 3% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Springbok

$127 10.9% 24.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Springbok

$48 4.1% 24.8% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Springbok

$40 3.4% 34.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $361 in Springbok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $38 in Springbok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $194 per month, with Springbok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Springbok

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

10,438

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Springbok 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Springbok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,164 in Springbok, so Springbok is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,745 in Springbok to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $361 in Springbok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $230 in Springbok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,164 in Springbok versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Springbok but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Springbok 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Springbok are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Springbok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.