Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Vereeniging

For one person, living is cheaper in Vereeniging: $958 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Vereeniging
Learn more

Vereeniging Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Vereeniging

🇿🇦 South Africa

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Vereeniging

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $958 in Vereeniging.

Lisbon $2,202
Vereeniging $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,563 in Vereeniging.

Lisbon $3,274
Vereeniging $1,563

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,169 in Vereeniging.

Lisbon $4,346
Vereeniging $2,169

Living in Lisbon is roughly 130% more expensive than in Vereeniging, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Vereeniging is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$9.10 R 150

87.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$36.30 R 598

71.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.41 R 89.2

103.70%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.31 R 38.07

35.06%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.80 R 13.16

183.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.67 R 10.98

159.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.49 R 24.49

129.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.47 R 40.68

51.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.17 R 19.31

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.09 R 17.90

70.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.54 R 25.44

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.57 R 42.31

57.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.37 R 138

54.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$5.11 R 84.2

54.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$7.44 R 123

137.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.64 R 27.03

37.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.57 R 25.86

11.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.64 R 27.01

15.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.60 R 26.30

60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.14 R 18.74

62.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.22 R 20.17

61.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.19 R 19.52

21.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.13 R 18.55

-31.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.20 R 52.7

109.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.19 R 85.4

9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.53 R 25.15

-10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.02 R 33.24

4.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.65 R 27.16

40.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.31 R 5.13

1174.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.75 R 12.36

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$14.88 R 245

15.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.48 R 24.35

47.97%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$16.0K R 263.9K

110.90%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$22.2K R 365.7K

72.38%

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

$164 €146

$141 R 2,326

16.04%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$37.44 R 617

-50.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$37.23 R 613

-11.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$18.52 R 305

147.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$9.40 R 155

98.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.76 R 94.9

69.27%

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

$684 €608

$143 R 2,350

379.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$5,589 R 92.1K

215.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$53.6 R 883

93.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$30.33 R 500

52.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$92.7 R 1,528

7.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$82.3 R 1,356

51.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$274 R 4,507

480.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$259 R 4,275

350.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$946 R 15.6K

201.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$666 R 11.0K

199.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$877 R 14.4K

788.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$599 R 9,870

637.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,424 R 23.5K

12.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.34

-66.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Vereeniging: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Vereeniging

$259 27.1% 77.8% $910

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Vereeniging

$190 19.9% 30.3% $83

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Vereeniging

$135 14.1% 45.5% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Vereeniging

$216 22.5% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Vereeniging

$117 12.2% 30.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Vereeniging

$30 3.1% 54% $35

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Vereeniging

$11 * 1.1% 83.1% $52

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 $274 in Vereeniging. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 12% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $36.00 in Vereeniging for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $190 per month, with Vereeniging cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Vereeniging

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

100,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Vereeniging 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Vereeniging

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 Vereeniging: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Vereeniging differ by about 130% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $958 including rent). Vereeniging is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $274 in Vereeniging. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% 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 $958 in Vereeniging – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $958 in Vereeniging versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Vereeniging but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Vereeniging 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 Vereeniging 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 Vereeniging gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.