Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whakatane and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Whakatane: $1,982 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Whakatane, New Zealand
Lisbon, Portugal
Whakatane
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,982
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,982 in Whakatane versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Whakatane $1,982
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Whakatane versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Whakatane $2,919
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,856 in Whakatane versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Whakatane $3,856
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Whakatane costs roughly 10% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Whakatane 46% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.21 NZ$25.23
$16.65 €14.91
-14.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 NZ$120
$61.7 €55.3
9.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.93 NZ$15.85
$11.36 €10.17
-21.39%
Cappuccino
$3.16 NZ$5.61
$2.97 €2.66
6.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 NZ$3.53
$2.29 €2.05
-13.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 NZ$3.26
$1.74 €1.56
5.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.12 NZ$10.86
$3.40 €3.05
80.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.32 NZ$11.21
$3.31 €2.96
90.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 NZ$3.31
$1.16 €1.04
60.34%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 NZ$1.75
$1.91 €1.71
-48.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 NZ$3.29
$1.51 €1.35
23.18%
Eggs
$5.66 NZ$10.05
$4.02 €3.60
40.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 NZ$15.02
$12.94 €11.59
-34.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.55 NZ$15.18
$7.77 €6.96
10.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 NZ$27.29
$17.76 €15.91
-13.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.43 NZ$4.31
$2.30 €2.06
5.65%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 NZ$3.82
$1.73 €1.55
24.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 NZ$5.27
$1.86 €1.66
59.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.73 NZ$10.18
$2.59 €2.32
121.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 NZ$3.55
$1.82 €1.63
9.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.52 NZ$2.69
$1.97 €1.76
-22.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.05 NZ$3.65
$1.47 €1.32
39.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 NZ$1.90
$0.72 €0.65
48.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$27.52 NZ$48.87
$6.58 €5.90
318.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.66 NZ$15.37
$5.61 €5.02
54.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 NZ$2.55
$1.36 €1.22
5.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 NZ$2.04
$2.14 €1.91
-46.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.74 NZ$3.09
$2.33 €2.09
-25.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$93.8 NZ$166
$44.68 €40.01
109.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.25 NZ$4.00
$3.85 €3.45
-41.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.01 NZ$3.57
$1.07 €0.96
87.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.50 NZ$57.7
$16.46 €14.74
97.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.58 NZ$2.81
$2.20 €1.97
-28.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.3K NZ$48.5K
$34.2K €30.6K
-20.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,071 NZ$16.1K
$38.7K €34.7K
-76.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 NZ$212
$161 €144
-26.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.90 NZ$47.76
$18.41 €16.49
46.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.58 NZ$72.1
$32.74 €29.32
23.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.14 NZ$69.5
$44.55 €39.90
-12.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.10 €17.10
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.39 NZ$14.89
$9.60 €8.60
-12.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,065 NZ$1,891
$668 €598
59.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K NZ$34.8K
$17.6K €15.8K
11.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.8 NZ$119
$102 €91.4
-34.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.12 NZ$71.2
$44.46 €39.82
-9.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.2 NZ$151
$98.5 €88.2
-13.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.4 NZ$130
$124 €111
-40.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$966 NZ$1,714
$1,608 €1,440
-39.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$975 NZ$1,730
$1,190 €1,066
-18.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,639 NZ$2,910
$2,812 €2,519
-41.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,525 NZ$2,707
$2,013 €1,803
-24.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,810 NZ$8,540
$7,839 €7,021
-38.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,305 NZ$5,868
$4,576 €4,098
-27.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Whakatane
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,027 NZ$7,150
$1,575 €1,411
155.69%
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 Whakatane: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Whakatane
$974
Lisbon
$1.2K 22.1% $216
Groceries & Markets
Whakatane
$295
Lisbon
$272 7.8% $23
Eating Out
Whakatane
$237
Lisbon
$243 2.4% $5.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whakatane
$187
Lisbon
$212 13.8% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Whakatane
$119
Lisbon
$166 38.8% $46
Getting Around
Whakatane
$113
Lisbon
$63 44.1% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Whakatane
$56
Lisbon
$64 14% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $966 in Whakatane and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Whakatane pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Whakatane vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Whakatane
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
07:28 7:28 AM
18:28 6:28 PM
13 h behind Whakatane
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,700
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Whakatane Lisbon 19,470 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Whakatane
  • 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
Whakatane vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Whakatane and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,982 in Whakatane and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Whakatane is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Whakatane or Lisbon?
Average pay in Whakatane is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Whakatane and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $966 in Whakatane versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Whakatane and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $1,065 in Whakatane versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How does quality of life compare between Whakatane and Lisbon?
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.
Is Whakatane or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Whakatane and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Whakatane vs other spots: cost of living compared

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