Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,769 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,769

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Oamaru versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Oamaru $1,769
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,802 in Oamaru versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Oamaru $2,802
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,834 in Oamaru versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Oamaru $3,834
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Oamaru costs roughly 20% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oamaru 31% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.87 NZ$24.53

$16.50 €14.67

-15.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 NZ$120

$61.3 €54.5

10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 NZ$16.23

$11.27 €10.03

-18.54%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$3.06 €2.72

7.84%

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

$2.33 NZ$4.12

$2.26 €2.01

3.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$1.73 €1.54

2.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 NZ$11.63

$3.39 €3.02

94.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 NZ$12.22

$3.40 €3.02

103.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.94

$1.12 €1.00

49.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 NZ$2.27

$1.86 €1.65

-31.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$1.53 €1.36

-1.96%

Eggs

$5.48 NZ$9.70

$3.96 €3.53

38.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 NZ$12.83

$12.76 €11.35

-43.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 NZ$15.69

$7.90 €7.02

12.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 NZ$24.04

$16.97 €15.09

-19.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.22

$2.27 €2.02

5.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.75 €1.55

15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NZ$4.76

$1.85 €1.64

45.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.25

$2.57 €2.28

15.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$1.86 €1.65

-19.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 NZ$2.35

$2.02 €1.80

-34.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$1.44 €1.28

43.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 NZ$1.24

$0.82 €0.73

-14.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.24 NZ$42.87

$6.56 €5.83

269.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 NZ$9.63

$5.62 €5.00

-3.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 NZ$5.96

$1.28 €1.14

163.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 NZ$7.60

$2.07 €1.84

107.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 NZ$2.64

$2.35 €2.09

-36.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 NZ$157

$44.18 €39.30

101.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 NZ$4.52

$3.99 €3.55

-36.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 NZ$3.00

$1.09 €0.97

55.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.87 NZ$49.29

$16.64 €14.81

67.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.79

$2.28 €2.03

-30.70%

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

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

-25.03%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

-39.24%

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

$158 NZ$279

$167 €149

-5.74%

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

$19.36 NZ$34.24

$18.80 €16.72

2.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.43 NZ$80.3

$33.09 €29.43

37.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.08 NZ$69.1

$46.01 €40.93

-15.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 NZ$17.65

$9.84 €8.75

1.42%

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

$668 NZ$1,181

$677 €602

-1.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

28.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 NZ$99.7

$101 €90.1

-44.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.83 NZ$29.77

$45.76 €40.70

-63.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.83 NZ$79.3

$100.0 €88.9

-55.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.3 NZ$88.9

$123 €109

-59.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$973 NZ$1,720

$1,614 €1,436

-39.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 NZ$1,398

$1,197 €1,065

-33.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,725 NZ$3,051

$2,862 €2,545

-39.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 NZ$2,884

$1,990 €1,770

-18.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,751 NZ$8,403

$7,577 €6,740

-37.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,236 NZ$5,724

$4,307 €3,831

-24.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,926 NZ$3,405

$1,588 €1,412

21.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

3.85

53.51%

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

Last update for Oamaru: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oamaru

$790 44.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 51.4% $407

Groceries & Markets

Oamaru

$274 15.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 1.7% $4.7

Eating Out

Oamaru

$241 13.6%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 0.4% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oamaru

$223 12.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 1.5% $3.3

Getting Around

Oamaru

$106 6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 40.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Oamaru

$76 4.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 120% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Oamaru

$59 3.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 11.2% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $973 in Oamaru and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oamaru pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Oamaru vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

05:12 5:12 AM

12 h behind Oamaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,850

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

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

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oamaru Lisbon 19,300 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Oamaru
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

Oamaru vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oamaru and Lisbon differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,769 vs $2,223 including rent). Oamaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Oamaru, 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: $973 in Oamaru versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Oamaru versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,769 in Oamaru versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Oamaru but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Oamaru 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, Oamaru 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 Oamaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.