Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surfers Paradise and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,824 in Surfers Paradise versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Surfers Paradise $2,824
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,398 in Surfers Paradise versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Surfers Paradise $4,398
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,973 in Surfers Paradise versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Surfers Paradise $5,973
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Surfers Paradise is roughly 27% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Surfers Paradise 109% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 A$24.99

$16.50 €14.67

5.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$151

$61.3 €54.5

71.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 A$15.62

$11.27 €10.03

-3.73%

Cappuccino

$4.10 A$5.90

$3.06 €2.72

33.99%

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

$2.81 A$4.05

$2.26 €2.01

24.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.73 €1.54

38.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.86 A$11.31

$3.39 €3.02

131.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.32

$3.40 €3.02

131.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.40

$1.12 €1.00

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 A$3.89

$1.86 €1.65

45.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.46

$1.53 €1.36

57.52%

Eggs

$4.90 A$7.05

$3.96 €3.53

23.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 A$12.49

$12.76 €11.35

-31.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 A$13.07

$7.90 €7.02

15.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.83

$16.97 €15.09

-14.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.65

$2.27 €2.02

72.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$1.75 €1.55

76.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 A$4.85

$1.85 €1.64

82.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.97

$2.57 €2.28

88.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.06

$1.86 €1.65

51.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$2.02 €1.80

20.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.44

$1.44 €1.28

65.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 A$2.98

$0.82 €0.73

152.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$37.58 A$54.1

$6.56 €5.83

472.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 A$20.52

$5.62 €5.00

153.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.97 A$8.59

$1.28 €1.14

366.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 A$7.36

$2.07 €1.84

147.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.49

$2.35 €2.09

-85.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 A$3.02

$3.99 €3.55

-47.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 A$2.33

$1.09 €0.97

48.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.24 A$50.7

$16.64 €14.81

111.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.86

$2.28 €2.03

-42.98%

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

$27.0K A$38.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

-19.74%

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

$28.3K A$40.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-27.85%

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

$212 A$305

$167 €149

26.73%

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

$29.92 A$43.06

$18.80 €16.72

59.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 A$79.8

$33.09 €29.43

67.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 A$95.1

$46.01 €40.93

43.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.45 A$20.80

$19.19 €17.07

-24.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.42 A$25.06

$9.84 €8.75

77.03%

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

$1,944 A$2,798

$677 €602

187.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K A$17.8K

$16.9K €15.1K

-26.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 A$120

$101 €90.1

-17.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 A$79.2

$45.76 €40.70

20.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$100.0 €88.9

10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 A$175

$123 €109

-1.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,912 A$2,752

$1,614 €1,436

18.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 A$2,260

$1,197 €1,065

31.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,770 A$5,425

$2,862 €2,545

31.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,067 A$4,413

$1,990 €1,770

54.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,895 A$8,483

$7,577 €6,740

-22.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,954 A$7,128

$4,307 €3,831

15.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,288 A$4,731

$1,588 €1,412

107.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

3.85

50.91%

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

Last update for Surfers Paradise: 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

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 23.8% $373

Groceries & Markets

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 29.1% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 26.3% $78

Eating Out

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 18.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 34.9% $35

Getting Around

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 445% $51

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 $1,912 in Surfers Paradise and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surfers Paradise pays 107% 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: $105 in Surfers Paradise vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

18:19 6:19 PM

9 h behind Surfers Paradise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,668

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Surfers Paradise Lisbon 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Surfers Paradise
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

Surfers Paradise vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surfers Paradise and Lisbon differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,824 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 107% higher in Surfers Paradise, 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: $1,912 in Surfers Paradise versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Surfers Paradise. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,824 per month in Surfers Paradise versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Surfers Paradise. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, Surfers Paradise 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Surfers Paradise. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.