Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rolleston and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rolleston: $1,156 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Rolleston
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Rolleston Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rolleston

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,156

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,156 in Rolleston versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Rolleston $1,156
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,200 in Rolleston versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Rolleston $2,200
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,243 in Rolleston versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Rolleston $3,243
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Rolleston costs roughly 48% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rolleston is 15% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.98 NZ$24.81

$16.65 €14.91

-16.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 NZ$124

$61.7 €55.3

13.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 NZ$15.73

$11.36 €10.17

-22.01%

Cappuccino

$3.19 NZ$5.66

$2.97 €2.66

7.41%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$2.29 €2.05

-6.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$1.74 €1.56

7.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.01 NZ$12.45

$3.40 €3.05

106.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 NZ$11.34

$3.31 €2.96

93.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 NZ$3.03

$1.16 €1.04

47.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$1.91 €1.71

-4.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 NZ$2.55

$1.51 €1.35

-5.30%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.47

$4.02 €3.60

46.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.59 NZ$13.47

$12.94 €11.59

-41.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 NZ$16.98

$7.77 €6.96

23.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 NZ$24.47

$17.76 €15.91

-22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 NZ$4.43

$2.30 €2.06

8.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$1.73 €1.55

34.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.87

$1.86 €1.66

47.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 NZ$9.37

$2.59 €2.32

103.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$1.82 €1.63

3.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.50

$1.97 €1.76

-28.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$1.47 €1.32

58.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.98

$0.72 €0.65

-23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 NZ$42.48

$6.58 €5.90

263.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 NZ$14.75

$5.61 €5.02

48.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 NZ$6.31

$1.36 €1.22

161.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 NZ$6.10

$2.14 €1.91

60.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 NZ$2.08

$2.33 €2.09

-49.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NZ$4.49

$3.85 €3.45

-34.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$1.07 €0.96

59.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.39 NZ$50.4

$16.46 €14.74

72.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$2.20 €1.97

-20.91%

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

$28.3K NZ$50.2K

$34.2K €30.6K

-17.24%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-39.40%

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

$110 NZ$196

$161 €144

-31.66%

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

$22.62 NZ$40.17

$18.41 €16.49

22.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.32 NZ$80.5

$32.74 €29.32

38.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$9.60 €8.60

19.58%

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

$338 NZ$601

$668 €598

-49.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,824 NZ$12.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

-61.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$106

$102 €91.4

-41.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 NZ$62.5

$44.46 €39.82

-20.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 NZ$163

$98.5 €88.2

-6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 NZ$224

$124 €111

1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$286 NZ$507

$1,608 €1,440

-82.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 NZ$447

$1,190 €1,066

-78.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 NZ$1,801

$2,812 €2,519

-63.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 NZ$1,968

$2,013 €1,803

-44.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,068 NZ$3,672

$7,839 €7,021

-73.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,789 NZ$3,177

$4,576 €4,098

-60.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,403 NZ$7,817

$1,575 €1,411

179.55%

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 Rolleston: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rolleston

$306 26.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 11% $34

Accommodation & Living

Rolleston

$252 21.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 373% $938

Eating Out

Rolleston

$240 20.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 0.9% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rolleston

$178 15.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 19.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Rolleston

$141 12.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 17.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rolleston

$23 * 2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 178% $41

Getting Around

Rolleston

$16 * 1.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 301% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $286 in Rolleston and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rolleston pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70 in Rolleston vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rolleston

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

13 h behind Rolleston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rolleston Lisbon 19,460 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Rolleston
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

Rolleston vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,156 in Rolleston and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Rolleston is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Rolleston is about 2.8 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: $286 in Rolleston versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,156 per month in Rolleston versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Rolleston is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,156 in Rolleston versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rolleston but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rolleston 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, Rolleston and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.