Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rarotonga and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,117 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,117

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Rarotonga versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Rarotonga $1,117
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,581 in Rarotonga versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Rarotonga $1,581
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,045 in Rarotonga versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Rarotonga $2,045
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Rarotonga costs roughly 49% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rarotonga is 18% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.31 NZ$25.18

$16.65 €14.96

-14.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 NZ$89.8

$61.7 €55.5

-17.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NZ$10.03

$11.36 €10.20

-49.82%

Cappuccino

$3.33 NZ$5.86

$2.97 €2.67

12.12%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.88

$2.29 €2.06

-3.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NZ$3.96

$1.74 €1.56

29.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 NZ$8.88

$3.40 €3.06

48.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.91

$3.31 €2.97

52.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 NZ$4.92

$1.16 €1.04

141.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 NZ$5.12

$1.91 €1.72

52.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

Eggs

$6.22 NZ$10.94

$4.02 €3.61

54.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 NZ$12.67

$12.94 €11.62

-44.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 NZ$20.22

$6.58 €5.92

74.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 NZ$19.70

$5.61 €5.04

99.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.89

$1.36 €1.22

145.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.90

$2.14 €1.92

136.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 NZ$5.09

$2.33 €2.10

24.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$20.16 NZ$35.49

$3.85 €3.46

423.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.69 NZ$59.3

$16.46 €14.79

104.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.96

$2.20 €1.98

-23.64%

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

$11.4K NZ$20.0K

$34.2K €30.7K

-66.73%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

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

$101 NZ$178

$161 €145

-37.27%

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

$48.92 NZ$86.1

$18.41 €16.54

165.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 NZ$181

$32.74 €29.41

214.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

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

$668 €600

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 NZ$785

$1,608 €1,445

-72.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 NZ$801

$1,190 €1,069

-61.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 NZ$1,202

$2,812 €2,527

-75.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 NZ$1,114

$2,013 €1,809

-68.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,985 NZ$7,013

$1,575 €1,415

153.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Rarotonga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rarotonga

–

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Groceries & Markets

Rarotonga

–

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Eating Out

Rarotonga

–

Lisbon

$243 11%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rarotonga

–

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Rarotonga

–

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Rarotonga

–

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Getting Around

Rarotonga

–

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $446 in Rarotonga and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51 in Rarotonga vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $153 vs $272 per month, with Rarotonga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

02:36 2:36 AM

10 h ahead of Rarotonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,373

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.51 EUR).

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

USD to NZD in detail →

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Between locations

Rarotonga Lisbon 16,610 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Rarotonga
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

Rarotonga vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rarotonga and Lisbon differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($1,117 vs $2,210 including rent). Rarotonga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Rarotonga is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $446 in Rarotonga versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rarotonga – a meal for two runs $51 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Rarotonga versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rarotonga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Rarotonga 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.