Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
Learn more

Polokwane Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $959 in Polokwane versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Polokwane $959
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,417 in Polokwane versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Polokwane $1,417
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,875 in Polokwane versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Polokwane $1,875
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Polokwane costs roughly 57% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Polokwane is 29% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.24 R 202

$16.50 €14.67

-25.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 R 489

$61.3 €54.5

-51.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 123

$11.27 €10.03

-33.81%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.26

$3.06 €2.72

-22.22%

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

$0.77 R 12.68

$2.26 €2.01

-65.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.47

$1.73 €1.54

-49.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 R 27.65

$3.39 €3.02

-50.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.95

$3.40 €3.02

-44.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.71

$1.12 €1.00

17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.82

$1.86 €1.65

-41.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$1.53 €1.36

11.11%

Eggs

$2.65 R 43.69

$3.96 €3.53

-33.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R 129

$12.76 €11.35

-38.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 R 75.6

$7.90 €7.02

-41.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 R 99.6

$16.97 €15.09

-64.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.19

$2.27 €2.02

-11.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.53

$1.75 €1.55

5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.80

$1.85 €1.64

-2.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.30

$2.57 €2.28

-23.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.49

$1.86 €1.65

-10.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.73

$2.02 €1.80

-25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.48

$1.44 €1.28

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.46

$0.82 €0.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 R 44.22

$6.56 €5.83

-59.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.2

$5.62 €5.00

-13.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.28 €1.14

-10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R 26.54

$2.07 €1.84

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.22

$2.35 €2.09

-60.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 R 495

$44.18 €39.30

-32.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 R 14.41

$3.99 €3.55

-78.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.66

$1.09 €0.97

-12.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.36 R 237

$16.64 €14.81

-13.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.52

$2.28 €2.03

-37.28%

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

$26.1K R 430.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-22.48%

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

$28.5K R 469.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-27.55%

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

$138 R 2,281

$167 €149

-17.33%

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

$38.10 R 628

$18.80 €16.72

102.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.99 R 544

$33.09 €29.43

-0.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.29 R 384

$46.01 €40.93

-49.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 132

$9.84 €8.75

-18.70%

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

$179 R 2,946

$677 €602

-73.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,452 R 23.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

-91.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 R 746

$101 €90.1

-55.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 R 622

$45.76 €40.70

-17.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 R 1,328

$100.0 €88.9

-19.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 R 1,544

$123 €109

-23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,785

$1,614 €1,436

-82.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 R 3,338

$1,197 €1,065

-83.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,922

$2,862 €2,545

-85.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 R 4,683

$1,990 €1,770

-85.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,343 R 22.1K

$1,588 €1,412

-15.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

3.85

183.38%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polokwane

$210 21.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 4.7% $9.8

Accommodation & Living

Polokwane

$203 21.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 491% $994

Groceries & Markets

Polokwane

$185 19.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 45.5% $84

Eating Out

Polokwane

$168 17.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 44.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Polokwane

$116 12.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 43.7% $51

Getting Around

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 60.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 67.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Polokwane and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 18% 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: $30.00 in Polokwane vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $269 per month, with Polokwane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

1 h behind Polokwane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,999

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Polokwane Lisbon 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Polokwane
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

Polokwane vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polokwane and Lisbon differ by about 132% in total monthly costs ($959 vs $2,223 including rent). Polokwane is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Lisbon. 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: $290 in Polokwane versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $179 in Polokwane versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $959 in Polokwane versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polokwane but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Polokwane 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, Polokwane 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 Polokwane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.