Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soweto and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Soweto: $1,106 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Soweto
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Soweto Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Soweto

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,106 in Soweto versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Soweto $1,106
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,704 in Soweto versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Soweto $1,704
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,302 in Soweto versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Soweto $2,302
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Soweto costs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Soweto is 19% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R 148

$16.65 €14.92

-46.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.84 R 612

$61.7 €55.3

-40.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.4

$11.36 €10.18

-54.23%

Cappuccino

$2.21 R 36.64

$2.97 €2.66

-25.59%

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

$1.04 R 17.35

$2.29 €2.05

-54.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.35

$1.74 €1.56

-54.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.76

$3.40 €3.05

-27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 R 46.71

$3.31 €2.97

-15.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.29

$1.16 €1.04

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 R 18.43

$1.91 €1.71

-41.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.92

$1.51 €1.36

19.21%

Eggs

$2.51 R 41.74

$4.02 €3.60

-37.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 144

$12.94 €11.59

-32.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R 84.4

$7.77 €6.97

-34.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.35 R 122

$17.76 €15.92

-58.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.62

$2.30 €2.06

-25.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.70

$1.73 €1.55

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.86

$1.86 €1.66

-6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.04

$2.59 €2.32

-39.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.82

$1.82 €1.63

-37.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.88

$1.97 €1.76

-39.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.69

$1.47 €1.32

-14.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.99

$0.72 €0.65

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 R 55.2

$6.58 €5.90

-49.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 R 83.3

$5.61 €5.02

-10.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R 26.53

$1.36 €1.22

17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R 31.73

$2.14 €1.91

-10.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 R 25.46

$2.33 €2.09

-34.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.79

$3.85 €3.45

-92.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.55

$1.07 €0.96

-28.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 R 238

$16.46 €14.75

-12.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$2.20 €1.97

-28.18%

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

$36.5K R 607.0K

$34.2K €30.6K

6.89%

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

$34.2K R 568.6K

$38.7K €34.7K

-11.61%

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

$152 R 2,518

$161 €144

-5.98%

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

$37.05 R 615

$18.41 €16.50

101.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.83 R 628

$32.74 €29.34

15.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.60 R 541

$44.55 €39.92

-26.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 R 181

$19.10 €17.11

-43.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R 122

$9.60 €8.60

-23.44%

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

$251 R 4,163

$668 €598

-62.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,490 R 91.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

-68.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 900

$102 €91.4

-46.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.08 R 533

$44.46 €39.85

-27.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 R 1,536

$98.5 €88.3

-6.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 R 1,390

$124 €111

-32.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 R 6,445

$1,608 €1,441

-75.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,155

$1,190 €1,066

-68.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.2K

$2,812 €2,520

-73.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.2K

$2,013 €1,804

-63.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$860 R 14.3K

$7,839 €7,025

-89.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$696 R 11.6K

$4,576 €4,100

-84.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

3.85

183.38%

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

Last update for Soweto: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Soweto

$371 33.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 221% $820

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soweto

$226 20.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 6.2% $14

Groceries & Markets

Soweto

$195 17.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 39.9% $78

Eating Out

Soweto

$139 12.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 74.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Soweto

$118 10.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 40.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Soweto

$47 4.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 34.8% $16

Getting Around

Soweto

$10 * 0.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 520% $53

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 $388 in Soweto and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Soweto vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $272 per month, with Soweto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Soweto

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

04:56 4:56 AM

2 h behind Soweto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,270,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 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

Soweto Lisbon 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Soweto
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

Soweto vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,106 in Soweto and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Soweto is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,659 in Soweto and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $388 in Soweto versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,106 per month in Soweto versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Soweto is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Soweto 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.