Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mossel Bay and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,094 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,094 in Mossel Bay versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Mossel Bay $1,094
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,720 in Mossel Bay versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Mossel Bay $1,720
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,346 in Mossel Bay versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Mossel Bay $2,346
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Mossel Bay costs roughly 51% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mossel Bay is 20% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.39 R 239

$16.65 €14.92

-13.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.69 R 809

$61.7 €55.3

-21.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 R 141

$11.36 €10.18

-25.09%

Cappuccino

$2.56 R 42.60

$2.97 €2.66

-13.80%

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

$1.39 R 23.09

$2.29 €2.05

-39.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.72

$1.74 €1.56

-45.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.63

$3.40 €3.05

-27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R 49.41

$3.31 €2.97

-10.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R 18.20

$1.16 €1.04

-5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.84

$1.91 €1.71

-43.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 R 44.53

$1.51 €1.36

77.48%

Eggs

$3.14 R 52.1

$4.02 €3.60

-21.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 R 158

$12.94 €11.59

-26.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.7

$7.77 €6.97

-32.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.90 R 131

$17.76 €15.92

-55.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.18

$2.30 €2.06

-15.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.84

$1.73 €1.55

-24.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.59

$1.86 €1.66

-4.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.63

$2.59 €2.32

-22.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.02

$1.82 €1.63

-20.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.18

$1.97 €1.76

-13.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.13

$1.47 €1.32

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.22

$0.72 €0.65

69.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.7

$6.58 €5.90

-43.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 R 81.7

$5.61 €5.02

-12.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 34.17

$1.36 €1.22

51.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 R 30.98

$2.14 €1.91

-12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.71

$2.33 €2.09

-41.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.23

$3.85 €3.45

-83.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.72

$1.07 €0.96

-16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.37 R 189

$16.46 €14.75

-30.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.87

$2.20 €1.97

-34.55%

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

$28.6K R 475.1K

$34.2K €30.6K

-16.34%

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

$27.1K R 449.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-30.12%

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

$109 R 1,805

$161 €144

-32.61%

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

$17.95 R 298

$18.41 €16.50

-2.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.87 R 712

$32.74 €29.34

30.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.03 R 349

$44.55 €39.92

-52.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.91 R 181

$19.10 €17.11

-42.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$9.60 €8.60

-25.21%

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

$275 R 4,573

$668 €598

-58.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 R 89.8K

$17.6K €15.8K

-69.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.97 R 797

$102 €91.4

-52.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.02 R 349

$44.46 €39.85

-52.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 R 1,638

$98.5 €88.3

0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 R 1,106

$124 €111

-46.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 R 8,350

$1,608 €1,441

-68.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 6,051

$1,190 €1,066

-69.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 R 17.2K

$2,812 €2,520

-63.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R 11.4K

$2,013 €1,804

-65.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$597 R 9,913

$7,839 €7,025

-92.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$610 R 10.1K

$4,576 €4,100

-86.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,505 R 25.0K

$1,575 €1,411

-4.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

3.85

205.19%

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

Last update for Mossel Bay: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mossel Bay

$364 33.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 227% $826

Groceries & Markets

Mossel Bay

$210 19.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 30% $63

Eating Out

Mossel Bay

$199 18.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 21.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mossel Bay

$169 15.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 25.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Mossel Bay

$105 9.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 57.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 80.1% $28

Getting Around

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 501% $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 $503 in Mossel Bay and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 5% 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: $49 in Mossel Bay vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $272 per month, with Mossel Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

00:05 12:05 AM

2 h behind Mossel Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mossel Bay Lisbon 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mossel Bay
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

Mossel Bay vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,094 in Mossel Bay and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Mossel Bay is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Mossel Bay. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $503 in Mossel Bay versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,094 per month in Mossel Bay versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Mossel Bay is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,094 in Mossel Bay versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mossel Bay but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Mossel Bay 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, Mossel Bay and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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