Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Worcester, South Africa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Worcester: $682 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Worcester
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Worcester Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Worcester

🇿🇦 South Africa

$682

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $682 in Worcester versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Worcester $682
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,522 in Worcester versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Worcester $1,522
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Worcester versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Worcester $2,362
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Worcester costs roughly 69% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Worcester is 50% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.00 R 82.0

$16.86 €15.02

-70.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.84 R 538

$61.0 €54.4

-46.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 R 74.4

$10.98 €9.78

-58.65%

Cappuccino

$1.54 R 25.21

$3.05 €2.72

-49.51%

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

$0.81 R 13.31

$2.28 €2.03

-64.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 R 10.74

$1.68 €1.50

-60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.08

$3.44 €3.06

-28.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 33.67

$3.91 €3.48

-47.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 R 14.07

$1.15 €1.02

-25.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 R 16.87

$1.89 €1.68

-45.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.40

$1.50 €1.34

-21.33%

Eggs

$1.72 R 28.18

$4.12 €3.67

-58.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 R 142

$13.01 €11.59

-33.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 109

$8.04 €7.17

-17.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.27 R 86.3

$17.89 €15.94

-70.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R 31.44

$2.27 €2.02

-15.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.10

$1.74 €1.55

12.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.82 €1.62

-8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.77

$2.69 €2.39

-21.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 R 12.34

$1.77 €1.57

-57.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.44

$1.94 €1.73

-20.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 R 22.27

$1.46 €1.30

-6.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.60

$0.76 €0.68

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.3

$6.66 €5.93

-47.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.00 R 98.3

$5.64 €5.02

6.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 18.97

$1.29 €1.15

-10.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 34.89

$2.14 €1.91

-0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 R 15.13

$3.98 €3.55

-76.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R 13.71

$0.64 €0.57

31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 R 83.1

$18.93 €16.86

-73.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 R 26.40

$2.28 €2.03

-29.39%

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

$34.5K R 565.6K

$33.4K €29.7K

3.44%

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

$33.9K R 555.6K

$38.5K €34.3K

-11.94%

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

$117 R 1,909

$158 €141

-26.35%

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

$26.46 R 434

$17.54 €15.62

50.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.78 R 652

$31.18 €27.78

27.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 R 850

$44.64 €39.77

16.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 R 194

$18.98 €16.91

-37.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.96 R 147

$9.58 €8.53

-6.47%

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

$303 R 4,972

$674 €600

-54.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,264 R 135.4K

$18.7K €16.7K

-55.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 918

$102 €91.0

-45.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$45.90 €40.89

-30.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,938

$102 €91.0

15.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,706

$122 €109

-14.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 R 6,484

$1,641 €1,461

-75.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 R 12.6K

$2,825 €2,516

-72.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 R 14.6K

$2,018 €1,798

-55.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$962 R 15.8K

$1,687 €1,503

-42.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.82

185.08%

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

Last update for Worcester: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Worcester

$191 27.9%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 44% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Worcester

$183 26.8%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 13.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Worcester

$140 20.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 20% $28

Eating Out

Worcester

$94 13.8%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 160% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Worcester

$70 10.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 8.6% $6

Getting Around

Worcester

$5.1 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 1082% $55

Accommodation & Living

Worcester

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

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 $396 in Worcester and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon 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: $33 in Worcester vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $275 per month, with Worcester cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Worcester

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

2 h behind Worcester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,098

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Worcester Lisbon 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Worcester
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

Worcester vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $682 in Worcester and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Worcester is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Worcester. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $396 in Worcester versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $682 per month in Worcester versus $2,206 in Lisbon – Worcester is about 69% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $682 in Worcester versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Worcester but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Worcester 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.

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