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Cape Town vs Lisbon cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฟ๐ฆ Cape Town
๐ต๐น Lisbon
At a glance
- Where Lisbon is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (24%โ)
- Where Cape Town is clearly cheaper: Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (61%โ), Taxi (58%โ), Transit (53%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: safety โ Cape Town 4 vs Lisbon 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Cape Town | Lisbon | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | R 150$8.57 | โฌ 12$14 | Cape Town โ39% |
| Street food1 item | R 70$4 | โฌ 4$4.65 | Cape Town โ14% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | R 300$17.1 | โฌ 30$34.9 | Cape Town โ51% |
| Coffeeone cup | R 38$2.17 | โฌ 2$2.33 | Cape Town โ7% |
| Beerone bottle | R 45$2.57 | โฌ 2.5$2.91 | Cape Town โ12% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | R 90$5.14 | โฌ 9$10.5 | Cape Town โ51% |
| Bottled water | R 15$0.86 | โฌ 0.8$0.93 | Cape Town โ8% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | R 18$1.03 | โฌ 1.5$1.74 | Cape Town โ41% |
| Taxi5 km in town | R 60$3.43 | โฌ 7$8.14 | Cape Town โ58% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | R 40$2.29 | โฌ 5$5.81 | Cape Town โ61% |
| Transitone ride | R 18$1.03 | โฌ 1.9$2.21 | Cape Town โ53% |
| Scooter rentalper day | R 450$25.7 | โฌ 40$46.5 | Cape Town โ45% |
| Hotel night3-star | R 1,900$109 | โฌ 140$163 | Cape Town โ33% |
| Studio rent (month) | R 13,000$743 | โฌ 1,300$1,512 | Cape Town โ51% |
| Laundry | R 44$2.51 | โฌ 2.5$2.91 | Cape Town โ14% |
| SIM card1 week data | R 250$14.3 | โฌ 15$17.4 | Cape Town โ18% |
| Haircutcut | R 170$9.71 | โฌ 15$17.4 | Cape Town โ44% |
| Massage1 hour | R 650$37.1 | โฌ 50$58.1 | Cape Town โ36% |
| Half-day tourper person | R 900$51.4 | โฌ 40$46.5 | Lisbon โ10% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | R 400$22.9 | โฌ 15$17.4 | Lisbon โ24% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Cape Town or Lisbon?
Cape Town is 40% cheaper than Lisbon. Daily budget $168 vs $272; a month $2,941 vs $5,020.
Which is easier to travel, Cape Town or Lisbon?
About the same: Cape Town 2.0/5, Lisbon 2.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cape Town and Lisbon?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cape Town is about $2,941 and Lisbon about $5,020 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.