Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Timaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Timaru: $1,992 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Timaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,992 in Timaru.

Lisbon $2,210
Timaru $1,992

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,048 in Timaru.

Lisbon $3,275
Timaru $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,104 in Timaru.

Lisbon $4,341
Timaru $4,104

Living in Lisbon is roughly 11% more expensive than in Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Timaru 46% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$14.41 NZ$25.62

15.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$61.3 NZ$109

0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.87 NZ$19.32

4.51%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.29 NZ$5.85

-9.73%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.13 NZ$3.78

7.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.78 NZ$3.16

-2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$5.70 NZ$10.12

-40.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.12 NZ$10.87

-45.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.15 NZ$2.05

0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.79 NZ$3.18

6.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.12 NZ$1.99

34.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.98 NZ$10.62

-32.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.28 NZ$14.72

56.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.21 NZ$16.37

-15.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$16.69 NZ$29.66

6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.93 NZ$5.21

-21.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.42 NZ$4.29

-28.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-41.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.25 NZ$9.33

-50.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.86 NZ$3.30

-2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.85 NZ$3.29

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-36.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.55 NZ$0.98

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$21.06 NZ$37.44

-68.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.57 NZ$9.91

0.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.17 NZ$5.64

-57.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.26 NZ$2.23

69.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.94 NZ$3.45

20.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$110 NZ$196

-59.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.23 NZ$3.97

72.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.79 NZ$3.18

-40.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$28.93 NZ$51.4

-43.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.56 NZ$2.76

41.03%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

20.05%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$22.9K NZ$40.8K

68.76%

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

$161 €144

$113 NZ$201

42.51%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$22.85 NZ$40.63

-19.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$52.5 NZ$93.3

-37.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$39.92 NZ$71.0

11.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$11.39 NZ$20.25

-15.72%

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

$668 €598

$590 NZ$1,048

13.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$16.1K NZ$28.6K

9.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$59.4 NZ$106

71.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$35.10 NZ$62.4

26.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$91.0 NZ$162

8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$137 NZ$244

-9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,108 NZ$1,970

45.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$921 NZ$1,637

29.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,790 NZ$3,182

57.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,674 NZ$2,975

20.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$4,547 NZ$8,083

72.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,866 NZ$5,094

59.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.07

-45.54%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Timaru

$921 46.2% 22.6% $269

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Timaru

$302 15.1% 10.7% $29

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Timaru

$244 12.2% 0.5% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Timaru

$188 9.5% 11.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Timaru

$145 7.3% 12.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Timaru

$63 3.2% 1.6% $1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Timaru

$129 6.5% 104% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,108 in Timaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $61 in Timaru. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $302, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

21:31 9:31 PM

13 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

28,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 NZD = 0.563 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 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 Timaru 19,380 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Timaru

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 Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,992 in Timaru, so Timaru is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,987 in Timaru 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,108 in Timaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,992 in Timaru – Timaru is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Timaru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.