Cape Town vs Lisbon
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Lisbon edges it, 72 to 59, winning 7 of the 9 factors. Cape Town is stronger on cost of living, climate; Lisbon on safety, getting there & around, healthcare. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Mountain, ocean and wine, at rand prices
Full Cape Town profile →Plan a trip to Cape Town →Sunny Atlantic capital with Europe's biggest nomad scene
Full Lisbon profile →Plan a trip to Lisbon →Where they differ
- Safety. Lisbon leads on safety, 83 to 26, against Cape Town. Homicides per 100,000: 39.72 vs 0.71.
- Cost of living. Cape Town leads on cost of living, 70 to 30, against Lisbon. Monthly cost, one person: $1,101 vs $2,456.
- Getting there & around. Lisbon leads on getting there & around, 52 to 17, against Cape Town. Non-stop airport destinations: 46 vs 154.
Where they are close. Within five points on visa ease.
Pick Cape Town if you want
- to spend about $1,355 less a month
- a longer comfortable season (10 months against 8)
Pick Lisbon if you want
- faster internet (40.4 Mbps measured)
- the safer country figures
- stronger healthcare
- cleaner air
- more flights and easier getting around
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cape Town | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 70 ✓ | 30 |
| Safety | 26 | 83 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 59 | 87 ✓ |
| Internet | 63 | 71 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 72 | 75 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 17 | 52 ✓ |
| Climate | 83 ✓ | 67 |
| Air quality | 78 | 94 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 64 | 88 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Cape Town | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,101 ✓ | $2,456 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $714 ✓ | $1,610 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Cape Town | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 39.72 | 0.71 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 58.9 | 77.9 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 74 | 83 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 66 yrs | 81.9 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cape Town | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 26.7 Mbps | 40.4 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 11.4 Mbps | 18.4 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Cape Town | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Remote work visitor's visa | Digital nomad residence visa (D8) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $3,241/mo ✓ | $4,131/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | unlimited ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Cape Town | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 46 | 154 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 4 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cape Town | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 10 ✓ | 8 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 14.9 µg/m³ | 7.6 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Cape Town or Lisbon?
- Cape Town is cheaper: about $1,101 per month versus $2,456 for one person.
- Is Cape Town or Lisbon safer?
- Lisbon scores higher on safety (83 vs 26), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cape Town or Lisbon?
- Lisbon: a measured median of 40.4 Mbps versus 26.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.