Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,467 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. The total is higher in Wollongong despite lower rent and utilities.

119

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,467

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,467 in Wollongong versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Wollongong $2,467
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,619 in Wollongong versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Wollongong $3,619
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,772 in Wollongong versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Wollongong $4,772
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Wollongong is roughly 12% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wollongong 81% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.38 A$24.62

$16.65 €14.92

4.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 A$119

$61.7 €55.3

35.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.10

$11.36 €10.18

-6.16%

Cappuccino

$3.47 A$4.92

$2.97 €2.66

16.84%

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

$3.03 A$4.30

$2.29 €2.05

32.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.23

$1.74 €1.56

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 A$10.16

$3.40 €3.05

110.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 A$9.99

$3.31 €2.97

112.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.68

$1.16 €1.04

2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$1.91 €1.71

55.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.13

$1.51 €1.36

46.36%

Eggs

$3.96 A$5.61

$4.02 €3.60

-1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 A$14.66

$12.94 €11.59

-20.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.36

$7.77 €6.97

21.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 A$22.22

$17.76 €15.92

-11.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.12

$2.30 €2.06

26.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.60

$1.73 €1.55

46.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.73

$1.86 €1.66

79.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.67

$2.59 €2.32

81.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.28

$1.82 €1.63

26.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.66

$1.97 €1.76

30.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.59

$1.47 €1.32

72.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$0.72 €0.65

86.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.34 A$64.2

$6.58 €5.90

589.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 A$19.70

$5.61 €5.02

147.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.48 A$6.35

$1.36 €1.22

229.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.90

$2.14 €1.91

127.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 A$3.32

$2.33 €2.09

0.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$196

$44.68 €40.04

209.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.64

$3.85 €3.45

3.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.07 €0.96

45.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.53 A$61.7

$16.46 €14.75

164.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$2.20 €1.97

-39.55%

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

$28.5K A$40.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-16.50%

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

$24.8K A$35.1K

$38.7K €34.7K

-35.99%

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

$186 A$263

$161 €144

15.21%

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

$26.37 A$37.36

$18.41 €16.50

43.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.87 A$70.7

$32.74 €29.34

52.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 A$86.9

$44.55 €39.92

37.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 A$19.52

$19.10 €17.11

-27.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 A$19.14

$9.60 €8.60

40.73%

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

$2,193 A$3,107

$668 €598

228.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.7K

$17.6K €15.8K

15.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 A$100

$102 €91.4

-30.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.0

$44.46 €39.85

25.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$98.5 €88.3

8.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$156

$124 €111

-10.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,984

$1,608 €1,441

-12.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 A$1,646

$1,190 €1,066

-2.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 A$3,397

$2,812 €2,520

-14.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,597

$2,013 €1,804

-8.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 A$6,330

$7,839 €7,025

-43.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 A$5,055

$4,576 €4,100

-22.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,107 A$7,234

$1,575 €1,411

224.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

3.85

35.84%

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

Last update for Wollongong: 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

Wollongong

$1.2K 47.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 2.4% $28

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$357 14.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 23.6% $84

Eating Out

Wollongong

$284 11.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 14.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$262 10.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 18.9% $50

Getting Around

Wollongong

$159 6.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 60.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$155 6.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$88 3.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 27.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Wollongong and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Wollongong vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

11 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Lisbon 18,170 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
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

Wollongong vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,467 in Wollongong and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Wollongong is about 3.2 times higher, 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: $1,400 in Wollongong versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,193 in Wollongong versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Wollongong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Lisbon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Wollongong and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Wollongong on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.