Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,328 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,328 in Pretoria versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Pretoria $1,328
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Pretoria versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Pretoria $2,017
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,707 in Pretoria versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Pretoria $2,707
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Pretoria costs roughly 40% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pretoria is 2% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 R 149

$16.50 €14.67

-45.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.37 R 616

$61.3 €54.5

-38.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 R 87.0

$11.27 €10.03

-53.15%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R 38.34

$3.06 €2.72

-23.86%

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

$1.09 R 17.89

$2.26 €2.01

-51.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$1.73 €1.54

-48.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.58

$3.39 €3.02

-23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.5

$3.40 €3.02

-4.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.62

$1.12 €1.00

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.63

$1.86 €1.65

-39.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.17

$1.53 €1.36

15.69%

Eggs

$2.55 R 42.00

$3.96 €3.53

-35.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 R 135

$12.76 €11.35

-35.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R 79.5

$7.90 €7.02

-38.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R 123

$16.97 €15.09

-56.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.22

$2.27 €2.02

-24.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.46

$1.75 €1.55

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.30

$1.85 €1.64

-3.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.66

$2.57 €2.28

-36.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.54

$1.86 €1.65

-39.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.39

$2.02 €1.80

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.44 €1.28

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.97

$0.82 €0.73

62.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$6.56 €5.83

-51.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 82.6

$5.62 €5.00

-10.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.28

$1.28 €1.14

24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.65

$2.07 €1.84

-7.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 R 79.2

$2.35 €2.09

104.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$176 R 2,893

$44.18 €39.30

297.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.19

$3.99 €3.55

-92.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.40

$1.09 €0.97

-31.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.28 R 235

$16.64 €14.81

-14.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.03

$2.28 €2.03

-33.33%

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

$35.1K R 578.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

4.19%

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

$33.3K R 549.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-15.20%

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

$152 R 2,505

$167 €149

-9.22%

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

$36.95 R 609

$18.80 €16.72

96.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.42 R 617

$33.09 €29.43

13.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 516

$46.01 €40.93

-31.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 R 169

$19.19 €17.07

-46.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R 123

$9.84 €8.75

-24.19%

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

$261 R 4,300

$677 €602

-61.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,812 R 128.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

-53.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 R 886

$101 €90.1

-46.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.62 R 521

$45.76 €40.70

-30.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 R 1,549

$100.0 €88.9

-5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 R 1,383

$123 €109

-31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 R 7,514

$1,614 €1,436

-71.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R 6,610

$1,197 €1,065

-66.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 R 16.2K

$2,862 €2,545

-65.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 R 12.3K

$1,990 €1,770

-62.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$7,577 €6,740

-88.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$692 R 11.4K

$4,307 €3,831

-83.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 R 23.4K

$1,588 €1,412

-10.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

3.85

194.55%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$401 30.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 198% $796

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$226 17.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 3.1% $7

Getting Around

Pretoria

$199 15%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 68.3% $136

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$193 14.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 39.4% $76

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 10.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 68.8% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$119 8.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 40.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 42.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $456 in Pretoria and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 12% 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: $37.00 in Pretoria vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $269 per month, with Pretoria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

12:36 12:36 PM

1 h behind Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

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

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Between locations

Pretoria Lisbon 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
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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

Pretoria vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pretoria and Lisbon differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,328 vs $2,223 including rent). Pretoria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% 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: $456 in Pretoria versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $261 in Pretoria 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 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,328 in Pretoria versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pretoria but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pretoria 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, Pretoria 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 Pretoria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.