Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Pietermaritzburg $1,033
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,555 in Pietermaritzburg versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Pietermaritzburg $1,555
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,077 in Pietermaritzburg versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Pietermaritzburg $2,077
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Pietermaritzburg costs roughly 53% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pietermaritzburg is 24% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.74 R 129

$16.65 €14.96

-53.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 R 593

$61.7 €55.5

-42.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.4

$11.36 €10.20

-48.94%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.21

$2.97 €2.67

-20.54%

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

$1.16 R 19.37

$2.29 €2.06

-49.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.12

$1.74 €1.56

-40.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R 35.72

$3.40 €3.06

-36.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 41.69

$3.31 €2.97

-24.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.13

$1.16 €1.04

14.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 R 15.30

$1.91 €1.72

-51.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.26

$1.51 €1.36

12.58%

Eggs

$3.16 R 52.6

$4.02 €3.61

-21.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 R 120

$12.94 €11.62

-44.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 R 82.1

$7.77 €6.99

-36.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 R 106

$17.76 €15.96

-64.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.94

$2.30 €2.07

-11.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.23

$1.73 €1.56

12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 R 38.68

$1.86 €1.67

24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.85

$2.59 €2.33

-21.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.63

$1.82 €1.64

-2.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.04

$1.97 €1.77

-8.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.74

$1.47 €1.32

1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.26

$0.72 €0.65

44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.2

$6.58 €5.92

-52.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 65.3

$5.61 €5.04

-30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R 23.66

$1.36 €1.22

4.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.16

$2.14 €1.92

-18.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 R 47.62

$2.33 €2.10

22.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.71 R 328

$44.68 €40.14

-55.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R 26.48

$3.85 €3.46

-58.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 R 17.66

$1.07 €0.96

-0.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.92

$2.20 €1.98

-34.55%

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

$26.5K R 441.6K

$34.2K €30.7K

-22.36%

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

$26.8K R 445.6K

$38.7K €34.8K

-30.84%

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

$205 R 3,410

$161 €145

27.14%

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

$32.46 R 540

$18.41 €16.54

76.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.19 R 619

$32.74 €29.41

13.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 R 729

$44.55 €40.03

-1.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.05 R 50.8

$19.10 €17.16

-84.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 R 80.5

$9.60 €8.62

-49.58%

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

$177 R 2,945

$668 €600

-73.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,103 R 84.9K

$17.6K €15.8K

-71.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R 943

$102 €91.7

-44.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 R 572

$44.46 €39.95

-22.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,894

$98.5 €88.5

15.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 R 1,163

$124 €111

-43.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 R 3,601

$1,608 €1,445

-86.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R 3,607

$1,190 €1,069

-81.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 R 9,583

$2,812 €2,527

-79.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,742

$2,013 €1,809

-79.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 R 98.4K

$7,839 €7,043

-24.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$148 R 2,466

$4,576 €4,111

-96.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 R 17.6K

$1,575 €1,415

-32.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

3.85

203.12%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 22.7% $62

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 449% $973

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 40% $78

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 83.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 34.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 19.2% $10

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 66.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $216 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 49% 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: $36 in Pietermaritzburg vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $272 per month, with Pietermaritzburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

2 h behind Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Lisbon 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
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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

Pietermaritzburg vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pietermaritzburg and Lisbon differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($1,033 vs $2,210 including rent). Pietermaritzburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Pietermaritzburg. 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: $216 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $177 in Pietermaritzburg versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pietermaritzburg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pietermaritzburg 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.

Expats usually find Pietermaritzburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.