Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Castries

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,438 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Castries

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Castries actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $1,438 in Castries, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Castries $1,438

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $2,357 in Castries, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Castries $2,357

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $3,276 in Castries, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Castries $3,276

Lisbon costs about 53% more than Castries, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Castries sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Castries by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$9.45 EC$25.52

80.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$73.8 EC$199

-15.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.56 EC$23.12

28.74%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.81 EC$10.29

-18.11%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.98 EC$5.34

14.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.98 EC$2.65

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.81 EC$7.58

21.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.24 EC$8.75

15.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.03 EC$5.48

-42.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.81 EC$4.88

2.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.65 EC$4.46

-6.67%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.74 EC$12.81

-14.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.00 EC$29.69

17.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.06 EC$24.46

-12.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.50 EC$39.15

21.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$8.79 EC$23.73

-74.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.61 EC$4.34

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$8.28 EC$22.36

-77.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$14.53 EC$39.22

-82.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$3.45 EC$9.31

-46.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.99 EC$5.37

-1.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.28 EC$6.16

-36.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.28 EC$3.47

-39.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$9.17 EC$24.77

-26.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.99 EC$29.66

-48.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.21 EC$5.97

-38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$5.40 EC$14.57

-60.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.08 EC$2.93

114.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$9.47 EC$25.57

-58.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.56 EC$4.21

40.38%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$26.0K EC$70.1K

30.08%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$37.1K EC$100.2K

3.09%

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

$164 €146

$121 EC$327

35.29%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$87.8 EC$237

-78.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$49.26 EC$133

-33.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.19 EC$111

11.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.67 EC$15.30

71.96%

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

$684 €608

$214 EC$579

219.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$82.1 EC$222

26.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$50.8 EC$137

-9.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$109 EC$294

-8.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$112 EC$301

11.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$449 EC$1,212

254.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$347 EC$937

236.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,222 EC$3,300

133.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$707 EC$1,910

181.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$102 EC$274

7573.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$64.5 EC$174

6750.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,093 EC$2,952

46.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

7.75

-50.32%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Castries: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Castries

$347 24.2% 70.3% $822

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Castries

$428 29.7% 56.7% $155

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Castries

$179 12.5% 27.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Castries

$258 18% 19.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Castries

$159 11.1% 5.6% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Castries

$53 3.7% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Castries

$14 * 1% 78.1% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $449 in Castries. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $74.0 in Castries. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $428 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇨 Castries

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

01:06 1:06 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

22,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Lisbon Castries 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Castries

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

Lisbon vs Castries: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 53% more than Castries, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $2,157 in Castries. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castries, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $1,438 in Castries. That's a gap of about 53%.

Kindergarten costs $684 per month in Lisbon and $214 in Castries. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castries, where all-in costs run around $1,438, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Castries it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Castries costs $1,438 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Castries. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.