Cost of Living · ZA vs PT
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇵🇹 Lisbon: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $1,298 in Portugal — 55.77% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Portugal
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 15.72%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 15.72%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 15.75%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +66.69%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +66.69%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +66.69%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Portugal | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $866 (800 EUR) | +66.69% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $693 (640 EUR) | +66.69% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $1,583 (1,463 EUR) | +66.69% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $10.36 (10 EUR) | +49.49% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $43.15 (40 EUR) | +49.41% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $6.65 (6 EUR) | +43.94% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.74 (1 EUR) | +34.55% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $2.14 (2 EUR) | +33.75% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $2.27 (2 EUR) | +33.53% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $6.69 (6 EUR) | +33.8% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $2.68 (2 EUR) | +34% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $3.21 (3 EUR) | +33.75% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $8.03 (7 EUR) | +34.06% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.34 (1 EUR) | +34% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $3.45 (3 EUR) | +49.35% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $6.54 (6 EUR) | +15.75% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $2.88 (3 EUR) | +49.22% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $1.54 (1 EUR) | +33.91% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $39.32 (36 EUR) | +44.03% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $1.66 (2 EUR) | +43.1% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $2.30 (2 EUR) | +49.35% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.04 (1 EUR) | +50.72% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.78 (1 EUR) | +16.42% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $121 (112 EUR) | +44.05% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $42.35 (39 EUR) | +44.05% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $27.23 (25 EUR) | +44.07% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $28.77 (27 EUR) | +49.38% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $8.05 (7 EUR) | +49.35% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $17.26 (16 EUR) | +49.44% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $44.98 (42 EUR) | +15.72% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $73.61 (68 EUR) | +15.72% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $144 (133 EUR) | +49.4% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Portugal than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,298 in Portugal versus $833 in South Africa — 55.77% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Portugal?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.45 in Portugal (≈ 3.19 EUR), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Portugal compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $866/month in Portugal versus $520/month in South Africa (+66.69%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.