Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $764 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$764

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mbabane and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mbabane and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $764 in Mbabane versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Mbabane $764
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,223 in Mbabane versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Mbabane $1,223
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,681 in Mbabane versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Mbabane $1,681
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Mbabane costs roughly 66% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mbabane is 43% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.22 SZL 168

$16.50 €14.67

-38.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.39 SZL 550

$61.3 €54.5

-45.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 SZL 101

$11.27 €10.03

-45.70%

Cappuccino

$2.59 SZL 42.65

$3.06 €2.72

-15.36%

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

$1.13 SZL 18.52

$2.26 €2.01

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 SZL 10.15

$1.73 €1.54

-64.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SZL 35.78

$3.39 €3.02

-35.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 SZL 38.77

$3.40 €3.02

-30.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 SZL 26.47

$1.12 €1.00

43.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 SZL 13.84

$1.86 €1.65

-54.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 SZL 28.78

$1.53 €1.36

14.38%

Eggs

$1.83 SZL 30.06

$3.96 €3.53

-53.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 SZL 180

$12.76 €11.35

-14.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 SZL 94.1

$7.90 €7.02

-27.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.04 SZL 82.9

$16.97 €15.09

-70.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 SZL 30.13

$2.27 €2.02

-19.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 SZL 10.87

$1.75 €1.55

-62.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 SZL 19.83

$1.85 €1.64

-35.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 SZL 22.25

$2.57 €2.28

-47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 SZL 21.74

$1.86 €1.65

-29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SZL 24.67

$2.02 €1.80

-25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 SZL 11.01

$1.44 €1.28

-53.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 SZL 12.82

$0.82 €0.73

-4.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 SZL 45.58

$6.56 €5.83

-57.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 SZL 102

$5.62 €5.00

10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 SZL 26.49

$1.28 €1.14

25.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 SZL 27.63

$2.07 €1.84

-18.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 SZL 11.50

$2.35 €2.09

-70.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 SZL 23.15

$1.09 €0.97

29.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 SZL 49.30

$16.64 €14.81

-81.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SZL 21.37

$2.28 €2.03

-42.98%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

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

$39.3K €35.0K

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

$63.9 SZL 1,051

$167 €149

-61.87%

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

$38.35 SZL 631

$18.80 €16.72

103.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.56 SZL 454

$33.09 €29.43

-16.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.37 SZL 368

$46.01 €40.93

-51.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.98 SZL 49.10

$19.19 €17.07

-84.47%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 SZL 61.5

$9.84 €8.75

-62.09%

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,395 SZL 105.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

-62.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.61 SZL 570

$101 €90.1

-65.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.29 SZL 252

$45.76 €40.70

-66.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 SZL 1,167

$100.0 €88.9

-29.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 SZL 884

$123 €109

-56.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 SZL 4,394

$1,614 €1,436

-83.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 SZL 2,956

$1,197 €1,065

-85.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$454 SZL 7,477

$2,862 €2,545

-84.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 SZL 5,872

$1,990 €1,770

-82.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$476 SZL 7,840

$7,577 €6,740

-93.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$356 SZL 5,855

$4,307 €3,831

-91.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

3.85

88.31%

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

Last update for Mbabane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbabane

$183 23.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 47.4% $87

Accommodation & Living

Mbabane

$180 23.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 567% $1K

Eating Out

Mbabane

$154 20.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 57.6% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbabane

$130 17%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 69% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Mbabane

$79 10.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 112% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Mbabane

$30 3.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 120% $36

Getting Around

Mbabane

$9.8 * 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 541% $53

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 $267 in Mbabane and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $33.00 in Mbabane vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $269 per month, with Mbabane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

1 h behind Mbabane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,874 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SZL = 6.08 USD

100 SZL = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SZL – Eswatini Lilangeni Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇿 Eswatini Lilangeni (L)

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.46 SZL (100 SZL = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 SZL (100 SZL = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SZL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mbabane Lisbon 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbabane
Lisbon

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

Mbabane vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbabane and Lisbon differ by about 191% in total monthly costs ($764 vs $2,223 including rent). Mbabane is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,146 in Mbabane and $3,335 in Lisbon 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: $267 in Mbabane versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mbabane – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $764 per month in Mbabane versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 191% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $764 in Mbabane versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mbabane but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mbabane 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, Mbabane and Lisbon 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 Mbabane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 191% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.