Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Worcester, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Worcester: $682 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Worcester
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Worcester Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Worcester

🇿🇦 South Africa

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Worcester

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $682 in Worcester.

Lisbon $2,206
Worcester $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,522 in Worcester.

Lisbon $3,276
Worcester $1,522

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,362 in Worcester.

Lisbon $4,346
Worcester $2,362

Living in Lisbon is roughly 223% more expensive than in Worcester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Worcester is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$5.00 R 82.4

237.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$32.84 R 541

85.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$4.54 R 74.8

141.85%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.54 R 25.36

98.05%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.81 R 13.38

181.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.66 R 10.81

154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.45 R 40.31

40.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.06 R 33.87

89.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.86 R 14.15

33.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.03 R 16.97

83.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.18 R 19.51

27.12%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$1.72 R 28.34

139.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$8.67 R 143

50.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$6.65 R 110

20.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$5.27 R 86.8

239.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.92 R 31.63

18.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.96 R 32.29

-11.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.66 R 27.32

9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.12 R 34.97

26.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.75 R 12.42

136.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.55 R 25.58

25.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.36 R 22.40

7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.14 R 18.71

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$3.50 R 57.6

90.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$6.00 R 98.8

-6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.16 R 19.08

11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.13 R 35.09

0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$0.92 R 15.22

332.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.84 R 13.79

-23.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$5.07 R 83.6

273.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.61 R 26.56

41.61%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$34.5K R 568.9K

-3.32%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$33.9K R 558.8K

13.55%

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

$158 €141

$117 R 1,920

35.77%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$26.46 R 436

-33.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$39.78 R 655

-21.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$51.9 R 855

-13.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$11.83 R 195

60.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$8.96 R 148

6.92%

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

$674 €600

$303 R 5,001

121.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$8,264 R 136.2K

126.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$56.1 R 924

82.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$31.75 R 523

44.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$118 R 1,949

-13.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$104 R 1,716

17.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$396 R 6,522

314.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$771 R 12.7K

266.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$893 R 14.7K

126.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

$962 R 15.9K

75.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

10.89

-64.92%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Worcester: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Worcester

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Worcester

$191 27.9% 30.6% $84

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Worcester

$94 13.8% 61.5% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Worcester

$183 26.8% 11.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Worcester

$140 20.5% 16.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Worcester

$70 10.2% 9.4% $6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Worcester

$5.1 * 0.8% 91.5% $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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $396 in Worcester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 75% 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: $61 in Lisbon vs $33 in Worcester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $191 per month, with Worcester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇿🇦 Worcester

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

06:39 6:39 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

97,098

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Worcester 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Worcester

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 Worcester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $682 in Worcester, so Worcester is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $396 in Worcester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% 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 $682 in Worcester – Worcester is about 69% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $682 in Worcester versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Worcester but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Worcester 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.

It comes down to priorities – Worcester wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.