Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
Learn more

Welkom Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Welkom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,051 in Welkom.

Lisbon $2,206
Welkom $1,051

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,581 in Welkom.

Lisbon $3,276
Welkom $1,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,112 in Welkom.

Lisbon $4,346
Welkom $2,112

Living in Lisbon is roughly 110% more expensive than in Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Welkom is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$8.84 R 145

90.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$20.76 R 341

194.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$5.23 R 85.9

109.94%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$2.29 R 37.59

33.19%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.50 R 8.21

356.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.62 R 10.22

170.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.22 R 19.99

181.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$1.46 R 23.97

167.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.00 R 16.45

15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.01 R 16.57

87.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.40 R 23.04

7.14%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$1.79 R 29.30

130.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$6.48 R 106

100.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$4.44 R 72.8

81.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$4.68 R 76.8

282.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.54 R 25.32

47.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.59 R 26.15

9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.77 R 29.11

2.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.23 R 20.18

118.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.12 R 18.45

58.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.22 R 19.97

59.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.87 R 14.26

67.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.29 R 21.10

-41.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$2.37 R 38.82

181.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$2.46 R 40.42

129.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.54 R 25.19

-16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.76 R 28.88

21.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.79 R 29.36

28.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.31 R 5.17

1183.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.82 R 13.40

-21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$14.74 R 242

28.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.58 R 25.89

44.30%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$35.3K R 579.6K

-5.53%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$34.0K R 558.2K

13.19%

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

$158 €141

$153 R 2,515

3.20%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$36.34 R 596

-51.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$36.25 R 595

-13.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$31.57 R 518

41.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$11.70 R 192

62.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$7.37 R 121

29.99%

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

$674 €599

$256 R 4,205

162.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$6,077 R 99.7K

208.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$52.5 R 861

94.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$31.62 R 519

45.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$92.4 R 1,516

10.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$82.7 R 1,357

47.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$392 R 6,429

318.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$364 R 5,965

226.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$726 R 11.9K

289.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$726 R 11.9K

178.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$715 R 11.7K

996.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$621 R 10.2K

657.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

11.34

-66.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Welkom

$364 34.6% 69.4% $824

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Welkom

$160 15.2% 41.7% $115

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Welkom

$127 12.1% 48.1% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Welkom

$226 21.5% 9.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 30.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Welkom

$46 4.4% 27.4% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Welkom

$12 * 1.1% 80.9% $49

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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $392 in Welkom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $21 in Welkom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $160 per month, with Welkom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

64,130

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Welkom 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,051 in Welkom, so Welkom is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,577 in Welkom 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 $392 in Welkom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $1,051 in Welkom – Welkom is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Welkom 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.