Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanderbijlpark and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Vanderbijlpark: $1,036 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Vanderbijlpark
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Vanderbijlpark Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Vanderbijlpark

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,036

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Vanderbijlpark versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Vanderbijlpark $1,036
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,610 in Vanderbijlpark versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Vanderbijlpark $1,610
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,184 in Vanderbijlpark versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Vanderbijlpark $2,184
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Vanderbijlpark costs roughly 53% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vanderbijlpark is 23% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 R 118

$16.50 €14.67

-56.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.65 R 620

$61.3 €54.5

-38.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 R 91.1

$11.27 €10.03

-50.93%

Cappuccino

$2.23 R 36.77

$3.06 €2.72

-27.12%

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

$1.05 R 17.38

$2.26 €2.01

-53.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.42

$1.73 €1.54

-49.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 R 28.29

$3.39 €3.02

-49.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 R 39.09

$3.40 €3.02

-30.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R 19.00

$1.12 €1.00

2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.82

$1.86 €1.65

-41.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.16

$1.53 €1.36

15.69%

Eggs

$2.55 R 42.01

$3.96 €3.53

-35.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 R 112

$12.76 €11.35

-46.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.27 R 70.4

$7.90 €7.02

-45.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.93 R 97.7

$16.97 €15.09

-65.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.45

$2.27 €2.02

-23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.29

$1.75 €1.55

-8.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.33

$1.85 €1.64

-7.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.06

$2.57 €2.28

-38.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.57

$1.86 €1.65

-39.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.32

$2.02 €1.80

-39.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.20

$1.44 €1.28

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R 21.06

$0.82 €0.73

56.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 R 50.9

$6.56 €5.83

-52.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.29 R 70.6

$5.62 €5.00

-23.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 R 25.76

$1.28 €1.14

21.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R 32.77

$2.07 €1.84

-3.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.77

$3.99 €3.55

-92.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 R 10.80

$1.09 €0.97

-39.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 R 61.2

$16.64 €14.81

-77.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 24.91

$2.28 €2.03

-33.77%

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

$34.9K R 575.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

3.76%

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

$33.6K R 553.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

-14.55%

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

$150 R 2,473

$167 €149

-10.37%

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

$24.65 R 406

$18.80 €16.72

31.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.79 R 606

$33.09 €29.43

11.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.86 R 541

$46.01 €40.93

-28.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.02 R 247

$19.19 €17.07

-21.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 R 98.5

$9.84 €8.75

-39.23%

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

$119 R 1,960

$677 €602

-82.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,506 R 24.8K

$16.9K €15.1K

-91.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.14 R 760

$101 €90.1

-54.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 R 541

$45.76 €40.70

-28.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 R 1,505

$100.0 €88.9

-8.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.2 R 1,256

$123 €109

-37.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 R 6,093

$1,614 €1,436

-77.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,021

$1,197 €1,065

-69.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 R 9,961

$2,862 €2,545

-78.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R 12.3K

$1,990 €1,770

-62.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,953 R 32.2K

$1,588 €1,412

22.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

185.71%

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

Last update for Vanderbijlpark: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vanderbijlpark

$365 35.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 228% $832

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vanderbijlpark

$212 20.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 3.7% $7.8

Groceries & Markets

Vanderbijlpark

$178 17.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 51% $91

Eating Out

Vanderbijlpark

$122 11.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 98.9% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Vanderbijlpark

$111 10.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 50% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Vanderbijlpark

$45 4.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 46.6% $21

Getting Around

Vanderbijlpark

$3.6 * 0.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 1665% $59

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 $370 in Vanderbijlpark and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vanderbijlpark pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38.00 in Vanderbijlpark vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $269 per month, with Vanderbijlpark cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Vanderbijlpark

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

1 h behind Vanderbijlpark

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,840

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

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

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vanderbijlpark Lisbon 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Vanderbijlpark
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

Vanderbijlpark vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vanderbijlpark and Lisbon differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($1,036 vs $2,223 including rent). Vanderbijlpark is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Vanderbijlpark, 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: $370 in Vanderbijlpark versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,036 per month in Vanderbijlpark versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 114% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,036 in Vanderbijlpark versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vanderbijlpark but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Vanderbijlpark 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, Vanderbijlpark 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 Vanderbijlpark gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.