Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustenburg and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $797 in Rustenburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Rustenburg $797
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,316 in Rustenburg versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Rustenburg $1,316
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,834 in Rustenburg versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Rustenburg $1,834
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Rustenburg costs roughly 64% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rustenburg is 41% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 R 81.3

$16.65 €14.91

-70.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 R 754

$61.7 €55.3

-26.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.22 R 104

$11.36 €10.17

-45.25%

Cappuccino

$1.66 R 27.75

$2.97 €2.66

-44.11%

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

$1.02 R 17.03

$2.29 €2.05

-55.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R 8.38

$1.74 €1.56

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R 24.77

$3.40 €3.05

-56.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.57

$3.31 €2.96

-35.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.19

$1.16 €1.04

-11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.91 €1.71

-52.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.40

$1.51 €1.35

12.58%

Eggs

$2.61 R 43.60

$4.02 €3.60

-35.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 R 127

$12.94 €11.59

-41.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 R 84.3

$7.77 €6.96

-35.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 R 105

$17.76 €15.91

-64.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.73

$2.30 €2.06

-22.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.20

$1.73 €1.55

-9.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.00

$1.86 €1.66

-3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.94

$2.59 €2.32

-58.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.94

$1.82 €1.63

-28.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R 18.12

$1.97 €1.76

-45.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R 22.34

$1.47 €1.32

-8.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.34

$0.72 €0.65

19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 R 51.2

$6.58 €5.90

-53.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 R 101

$5.61 €5.02

7.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R 9.80

$1.36 €1.22

-56.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.34

$2.14 €1.91

-57.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.60

$3.85 €3.45

-78.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.86

$1.07 €0.96

-16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.27 R 238

$16.46 €14.74

-13.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.16

$2.20 €1.97

-34.09%

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

$31.6K R 527.3K

$34.2K €30.6K

-7.70%

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

$31.7K R 529.2K

$38.7K €34.7K

-18.21%

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

$76.1 R 1,271

$161 €144

-52.82%

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

$13.47 R 225

$18.41 €16.49

-26.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.07 R 619

$32.74 €29.32

13.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.12 R 637

$44.55 €39.90

-14.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.11 R 102

$19.10 €17.10

-68.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 R 81.9

$9.60 €8.60

-48.96%

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

$110 R 1,842

$668 €598

-83.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,453 R 91.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

-69.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.73 R 697

$102 €91.4

-59.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.31 R 740

$44.46 €39.82

-0.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,863

$98.5 €88.2

13.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 R 890

$124 €111

-56.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,614

$1,608 €1,440

-79.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R 3,955

$1,190 €1,066

-80.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 12.0K

$2,812 €2,519

-74.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 R 8,609

$2,013 €1,803

-74.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,065 R 17.8K

$1,575 €1,411

-32.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.9

3.85

157.14%

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

Last update for Rustenburg: 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

Rustenburg

$237 29.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 403% $953

Groceries & Markets

Rustenburg

$173 21.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 57.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustenburg

$127 15.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 67.7% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Rustenburg

$113 14.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 47% $53

Eating Out

Rustenburg

$95 12%

Lisbon

$243 11% 155% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Rustenburg

$48 6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 33% $16

Getting Around

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 1102% $58

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 $336 in Rustenburg and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 48% 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: $45 in Rustenburg vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $272 per month, with Rustenburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

2 h behind Rustenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

549,575

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

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

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rustenburg Lisbon 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rustenburg
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

Rustenburg vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $797 in Rustenburg and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Rustenburg is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Rustenburg. 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: $336 in Rustenburg versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $797 per month in Rustenburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Rustenburg is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $797 in Rustenburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg 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.

It comes down to priorities – Rustenburg wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.