Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,174 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Stellenbosch

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,174 in Stellenbosch.

Lisbon $2,202
Stellenbosch $1,174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,947 in Stellenbosch.

Lisbon $3,274
Stellenbosch $1,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,721 in Stellenbosch.

Lisbon $4,346
Stellenbosch $2,721

Living in Lisbon is roughly 88% more expensive than in Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Stellenbosch is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$7.50 R 124

127.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$36.96 R 609

68.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$4.97 R 81.9

121.73%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.13 R 35.16

46.48%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.00 R 16.45

127.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.73 R 12.06

138.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.66 R 43.84

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.17 R 52.2

17.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.35 R 22.30

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.15 R 19.00

61.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.80 R 29.63

-14.44%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.85 R 47.01

42.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.75 R 144

47.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$5.94 R 97.9

33.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$7.50 R 124

135.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.75 R 28.90

29.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.48 R 24.42

18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.73 R 28.56

9.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.54 R 25.45

66.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.08 R 17.86

71.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.56 R 25.77

26.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.36 R 22.37

6.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.19 R 19.54

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.75 R 61.8

78.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.13 R 101

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.35 R 22.30

1.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.16 R 35.56

-2.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.60 R 9.87

558.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.49 R 24.55

-29.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$5.12 R 84.4

234.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.38 R 22.79

58.70%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$35.5K R 585.4K

-4.92%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$34.0K R 560.3K

12.52%

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

$164 €146

$103 R 1,701

58.67%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$29.34 R 483

-37.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$34.40 R 567

-4.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$29.41 R 485

55.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$17.07 R 281

9.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$8.74 R 144

11.56%

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

$684 €608

$266 R 4,381

157.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$2,413 R 39.8K

630.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$52.4 R 864

97.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$28.86 R 476

60.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$120 R 1,982

-17.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$89.6 R 1,476

39.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$677 R 11.2K

134.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$490 R 8,078

138.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,475 R 24.3K

93.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,196 R 19.7K

66.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,583 R 42.6K

-38.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.7

-64.02%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Stellenbosch

$490 41.8% 58.1% $679

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Stellenbosch

$204 17.4% 25.3% $69

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Stellenbosch

$127 10.8% 48.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Stellenbosch

$167 14.2% 22.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Stellenbosch

$131 11.2% 22.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 28.3% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Stellenbosch

$8.1 * 0.7% 87.2% $55

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $677 in Stellenbosch. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stellenbosch pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $37.00 in Stellenbosch for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $204 per month, with Stellenbosch cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

19,068

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Stellenbosch 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Stellenbosch differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,174 including rent). Stellenbosch is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Stellenbosch. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $677 in Stellenbosch. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,174 in Stellenbosch – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,174 in Stellenbosch versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Stellenbosch but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Stellenbosch gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.