Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,436 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,436 in Saint-Etienne.

Lisbon $2,210
Saint-Etienne $1,436

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,264 in Saint-Etienne.

Lisbon $3,275
Saint-Etienne $2,264

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,092 in Saint-Etienne.

Lisbon $4,341
Saint-Etienne $3,092

Living in Lisbon is roughly 54% more expensive than in Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Saint-Etienne 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$16.56 €14.88

0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$56.7 €50.9

8.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$13.54 €12.16

-16.10%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.07 €1.86

43.48%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.42 €3.07

-33.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.70 €1.53

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.07 €4.55

-32.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.75 €5.16

-42.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.29 €1.15

-10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.10 €0.99

73.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.09 €1.88

-27.75%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.05 €2.74

31.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$17.01 €15.28

-23.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$11.17 €10.03

-30.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$16.35 €14.68

8.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.27 €2.94

-29.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.54 €2.28

-31.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.45 €2.20

-24.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.71 €2.43

-4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.57 €1.41

15.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.73 €1.55

13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.10 €0.99

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.30 €2.07

-68.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$12.15 €10.91

-45.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.14 €9.11

-44.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.32 €2.99

-59.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.26 €2.93

-34.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.81 €1.62

28.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$39.87 €35.82

12.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.83 €2.54

36.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.11 €1.89

4.27%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$20.1K €18.0K

70.25%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$32.0K €28.7K

21.10%

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

$161 €145

$164 €148

-1.89%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$29.01 €26.06

-36.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$19.04 €17.11

71.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$29.86 €26.82

49.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$6.61 €5.94

188.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.89 €8.88

-2.93%

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

$668 €600

$996 €894

-32.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$15.8K €14.2K

11.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$72.1 €64.8

41.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$30.47 €27.37

45.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$103 €92.3

-4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$151 €135

-17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$515 €463

212.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$370 €332

221.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$873 €785

222.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$716 €643

181.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$1,677 €1,506

367.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,619 €1,454

182.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,255 €2,026

-30.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.67

4.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8% 68.9% $820

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6% 24.4% $67

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8% 5.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2% 3.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 22.1% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5% 21% $13

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $515 in Saint-Etienne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint-Etienne pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $57 in Saint-Etienne. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $339, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

172,718

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Saint-Etienne 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Saint-Etienne

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-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Saint-Etienne differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,436 including rent). Saint-Etienne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $515 in Saint-Etienne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $996 in Saint-Etienne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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