Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saint-Denis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Denis: $1,800 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Denis
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Saint-Denis Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Saint-Denis

🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saint-Denis

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 Saint-Denis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $1,800 in Saint-Denis.

Lisbon $2,203
Saint-Denis $1,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $3,171 in Saint-Denis.

Lisbon $3,237
Saint-Denis $3,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $4,543 in Saint-Denis.

Lisbon $4,272
Saint-Denis $4,543

Living in Lisbon is roughly 22% more expensive than in Saint-Denis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 64% above, Saint-Denis 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$13.56 €12.10

25.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

$79.0 €70.5

-20.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$15.63 €13.95

-26.94%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$3.54 €3.16

-12.71%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$2.58 €2.31

-8.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.50 €2.23

-33.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$3.44 €3.07

0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$4.65 €4.15

-29.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.70 €1.52

-31.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$2.96 €2.64

-48.65%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$4.51 €4.03

-13.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$20.10 €17.94

-35.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$13.24 €11.81

-40.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$33.24 €29.66

-46.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$5.45 €4.87

-54.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$4.51 €4.02

-54.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.30 €2.05

-39.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.90 €1.70

-57.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$11.39 €10.17

-39.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$12.55 €11.20

-55.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$3.30 €2.94

-59.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.41 €3.04

-36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.54 €2.26

-11.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.29

$43.40 €38.73

4.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.87 €1.67

20.86%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

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

$40.5K €36.1K

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

$164 €146

$146 €130

12.10%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$17.61 €15.72

5.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.64

$43.07 €38.44

-22.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$36.35 €32.44

26.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

$13.43 €11.98

39.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$11.11 €9.91

-14.76%

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

$690 €615

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$148 €132

-29.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$125 €112

-20.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$114 €102

8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$918 €820

72.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$657 €586

84.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$1,534 €1,369

84.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$1,951 €1,741

0.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$2,054 €1,833

-23.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Saint-Denis: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Saint-Denis

$657 36.8% 45.7% $552

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Saint-Denis

$390 * 21.9% 43.3% $118

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Saint-Denis

$245 13.7% 1.1% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Saint-Denis

$207 11.6% 4.1% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Saint-Denis

$174 * 9.8% 3.7% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Saint-Denis

$59 3.3% 9.8% $6.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Saint-Denis

$54 * 3% 15.6% $9.9

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 $1,583 in Lisbon and $918 in Saint-Denis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint-Denis pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $79.0 in Saint-Denis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $390 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇪 Saint-Denis

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

13:41 1:41 PM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

154,765 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Saint-Denis 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Saint-Denis

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 Saint-Denis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Saint-Denis differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $1,800 including rent). Saint-Denis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Saint-Denis. 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $918 in Saint-Denis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 43% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,203 per month in Lisbon versus $1,800 in Saint-Denis – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,800 in Saint-Denis versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Saint-Denis but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Denis 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Saint-Denis are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Saint-Denis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.