Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Thames: $1,966 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,966 in Thames versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Thames $1,966
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,999 in Thames versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Thames $2,999
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,032 in Thames versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Thames $4,032
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Thames costs roughly 12% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thames 46% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$16.50 €14.67

-15.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$61.3 €54.5

11.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 NZ$15.72

$11.27 €10.03

-21.12%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.06

$3.06 €2.72

11.76%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$2.26 €2.01

-10.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$1.73 €1.54

0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$3.39 €3.02

102.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 NZ$11.90

$3.40 €3.02

97.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.12 €1.00

66.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.86 €1.65

19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.53 €1.36

16.99%

Eggs

$6.20 NZ$10.97

$3.96 €3.53

56.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 NZ$15.55

$12.76 €11.35

-31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.11

$7.90 €7.02

22.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 NZ$29.74

$16.97 €15.09

-0.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.95

$2.27 €2.02

23.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$1.75 €1.55

23.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$1.85 €1.64

57.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.17

$2.57 €2.28

123.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.86 €1.65

14.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$2.02 €1.80

-24.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$1.44 €1.28

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$0.82 €0.73

26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.57 NZ$46.99

$6.56 €5.83

305.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 NZ$18.12

$5.62 €5.00

82.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.02

$1.28 €1.14

121.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$2.07 €1.84

63.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$2.35 €2.09

-38.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 NZ$133

$44.18 €39.30

70.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$3.99 €3.55

-42.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.09 €0.97

76.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.20 NZ$56.9

$16.64 €14.81

93.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$2.28 €2.03

-17.98%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

-25.32%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$39.3K €35.0K

-44.79%

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

$183 NZ$324

$167 €149

9.55%

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

$26.20 NZ$46.33

$18.80 €16.72

39.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$89.6

$33.09 €29.43

53.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 NZ$74.0

$46.01 €40.93

-9.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 NZ$23.17

$9.84 €8.75

33.13%

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

$1,135 NZ$2,007

$677 €602

67.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

13.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$101 €90.1

-21.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 NZ$70.6

$45.76 €40.70

-12.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 NZ$163

$100.0 €88.9

-7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$123 €109

-9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NZ$1,645

$1,614 €1,436

-42.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 NZ$1,451

$1,197 €1,065

-31.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NZ$2,624

$2,862 €2,545

-48.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 NZ$2,629

$1,990 €1,770

-25.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 NZ$8,050

$7,577 €6,740

-39.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,773 NZ$6,673

$4,307 €3,831

-12.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

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 Thames: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thames

$821 41.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 45.9% $376

Groceries & Markets

Thames

$337 17.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 20% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thames

$260 13.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 15.7% $41

Eating Out

Thames

$242 12.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Thames

$145 7.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 14.5% $21

Getting Around

Thames

$93 4.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 32.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Thames

$68 3.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 3.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $930 in Thames and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Thames vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Thames

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

11:28 11:28 AM

12 h behind Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

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 19, 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 19, 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

Thames Lisbon 19,570 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Thames
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

Thames vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thames and Lisbon differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,966 vs $2,223 including rent). Thames is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,949 in Thames and $3,335 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: $930 in Thames versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,135 in Thames 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 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,966 in Thames versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Thames but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Thames 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, Thames 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 Thames gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.