Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,358 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Wellington despite lower rent and utilities.

114

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,358

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,358 in Wellington versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Wellington $2,358
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,368 in Wellington versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Wellington $3,368
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,378 in Wellington versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Wellington $4,378
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Wellington is roughly 6% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wellington 75% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.27

$16.50 €14.67

-16.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$61.3 €54.5

4.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 NZ$15.83

$11.27 €10.03

-20.59%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.05

$3.06 €2.72

11.76%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.31

$2.26 €2.01

7.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 NZ$2.98

$1.73 €1.54

-2.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.22 NZ$12.76

$3.39 €3.02

112.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 NZ$11.76

$3.40 €3.02

95.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 NZ$3.38

$1.12 €1.00

70.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 NZ$3.89

$1.86 €1.65

18.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$1.53 €1.36

19.61%

Eggs

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$3.96 €3.53

70.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$12.76 €11.35

-29.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NZ$17.43

$7.90 €7.02

24.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 NZ$26.86

$16.97 €15.09

-10.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$2.27 €2.02

37.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.91

$1.75 €1.55

26.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.43

$1.85 €1.64

65.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 NZ$11.65

$2.57 €2.28

156.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 NZ$3.64

$1.86 €1.65

10.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.18

$2.02 €1.80

-39.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.66

$1.44 €1.28

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.03

$0.82 €0.73

40.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.86 NZ$43.96

$6.56 €5.83

278.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 NZ$19.95

$5.62 €5.00

100.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 NZ$5.47

$1.28 €1.14

141.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 NZ$5.08

$2.07 €1.84

38.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 NZ$5.01

$2.35 €2.09

20.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$180

$44.18 €39.30

129.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$3.99 €3.55

-53.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$1.09 €0.97

66.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.15 NZ$60.4

$16.64 €14.81

105.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 NZ$3.22

$2.28 €2.03

-20.18%

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

$25.0K NZ$44.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

-25.79%

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

$25.4K NZ$44.9K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.32%

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

$197 NZ$348

$167 €149

17.46%

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

$32.00 NZ$56.6

$18.80 €16.72

70.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 NZ$92.7

$33.09 €29.43

58.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 NZ$66.7

$46.01 €40.93

-18.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 NZ$28.50

$19.19 €17.07

-16.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 NZ$21.10

$9.84 €8.75

21.24%

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

$1,056 NZ$1,867

$677 €602

55.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K NZ$22.6K

$16.9K €15.1K

-24.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 NZ$135

$101 €90.1

-24.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 NZ$49.93

$45.76 €40.70

-38.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$100.0 €88.9

-0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 NZ$270

$123 €109

24.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 NZ$2,169

$1,614 €1,436

-24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 NZ$2,018

$1,197 €1,065

-4.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 NZ$3,790

$2,862 €2,545

-25.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 NZ$3,022

$1,990 €1,770

-14.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,578 NZ$11.6K

$7,577 €6,740

-13.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,559 NZ$6,294

$4,307 €3,831

-17.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 NZ$4,925

$1,588 €1,412

75.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

3.85

40.00%

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

Last update for Wellington: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wellington

$1.1K 48.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 4.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Wellington

$346 14.7%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 22.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wellington

$281 11.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 22% $62

Eating Out

Wellington

$244 10.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 0.6% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Wellington

$160 6.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 3.7% $5.9

Getting Around

Wellington

$124 5.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 49.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Wellington

$62 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 6.7% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,226 in Wellington and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wellington pays 75% 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: $64.0 in Wellington vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wellington

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

16:15 4:15 PM

12 h behind Wellington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

215,900 Capital

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 18, 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 18, 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

Wellington Lisbon 19,580 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Wellington
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

Wellington vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington and Lisbon differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,358 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 75% higher in Wellington, 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: $1,226 in Wellington versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,056 in Wellington versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Wellington. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,358 in Wellington, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Wellington. 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, Wellington 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 6% less than in Wellington. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.