Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotorua and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rotorua: $1,431 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Rotorua
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Rotorua Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rotorua

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,431

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,431 in Rotorua versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Rotorua $1,431
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,308 in Rotorua versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Rotorua $2,308
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,184 in Rotorua versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Rotorua $3,184
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Rotorua costs roughly 36% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotorua 6% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 NZ$19.70

$16.50 €14.67

-32.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 NZ$120

$61.3 €54.5

10.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 NZ$15.48

$11.27 €10.03

-22.36%

Cappuccino

$3.15 NZ$5.56

$3.06 €2.72

2.94%

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

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$2.26 €2.01

-13.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 NZ$3.06

$1.73 €1.54

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 NZ$10.66

$3.39 €3.02

77.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 NZ$11.75

$3.40 €3.02

95.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 NZ$3.10

$1.12 €1.00

56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$1.86 €1.65

-32.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 NZ$2.15

$1.53 €1.36

-20.92%

Eggs

$6.27 NZ$11.09

$3.96 €3.53

58.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 NZ$12.54

$12.76 €11.35

-44.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 NZ$7.69

$7.90 €7.02

-44.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 NZ$30.20

$16.97 €15.09

0.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 NZ$4.89

$2.27 €2.02

21.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NZ$3.39

$1.75 €1.55

9.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 NZ$4.32

$1.85 €1.64

31.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 NZ$10.51

$2.57 €2.28

131.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 NZ$2.53

$1.86 €1.65

-23.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 NZ$1.43

$2.02 €1.80

-59.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 NZ$1.03

$1.44 €1.28

-59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 NZ$1.82

$0.82 €0.73

25.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.83 NZ$42.15

$6.56 €5.83

263.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 NZ$14.51

$5.62 €5.00

46.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 NZ$4.81

$1.28 €1.14

112.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 NZ$5.72

$2.07 €1.84

56.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 NZ$2.30

$2.35 €2.09

-44.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 NZ$102

$44.18 €39.30

30.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 NZ$3.85

$3.99 €3.55

-45.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$1.09 €0.97

75.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.71 NZ$56.1

$16.64 €14.81

90.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$2.28 €2.03

-28.07%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

-33.37%

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

$20.1K NZ$35.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-48.72%

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

$64.5 NZ$114

$167 €149

-61.48%

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

$25.75 NZ$45.54

$18.80 €16.72

36.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.09 NZ$79.8

$33.09 €29.43

36.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.11 NZ$67.4

$46.01 €40.93

-17.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 NZ$15.58

$9.84 €8.75

-10.47%

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

$663 NZ$1,172

$677 €602

-2.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K NZ$34.2K

$16.9K €15.1K

14.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 NZ$136

$101 €90.1

-24.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 NZ$29.59

$45.76 €40.70

-63.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 NZ$160

$100.0 €88.9

-9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 NZ$194

$123 €109

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 NZ$1,209

$1,614 €1,436

-57.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 NZ$966

$1,197 €1,065

-54.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 NZ$2,233

$2,862 €2,545

-55.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 NZ$1,870

$1,990 €1,770

-46.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,013 NZ$7,097

$7,577 €6,740

-47.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,252 NZ$5,750

$4,307 €3,831

-24.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,673 NZ$6,495

$1,588 €1,412

131.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.85

39.48%

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

Last update for Rotorua: 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

Rotorua

$546 38.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 119% $651

Groceries & Markets

Rotorua

$276 19.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 2.5% $6.8

Eating Out

Rotorua

$211 14.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 14.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotorua

$135 9.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 62.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Rotorua

$132 9.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.8% $34

Getting Around

Rotorua

$75 5.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 15.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rotorua

$56 3.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 17.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Rotorua and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotorua pays 131% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Rotorua vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Rotorua

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

19:37 7:37 PM

12 h behind Rotorua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rotorua Lisbon 19,540 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Rotorua
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

Rotorua vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotorua and Lisbon differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,431 vs $2,223 including rent). Rotorua is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 131% higher in Rotorua, 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: $683 in Rotorua versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $663 in Rotorua versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,431 in Rotorua versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rotorua but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rotorua 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, Rotorua 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 Rotorua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.