Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saint John Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $6,147 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $47,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
296

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
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Saint John Island Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,147

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saint John Island

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 John Island actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $6,147 in Saint John Island.

Lisbon $2,202
Saint John Island $6,147

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $8,398 in Saint John Island.

Lisbon $3,274
Saint John Island $8,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $10.6K in Saint John Island.

Lisbon $4,346
Saint John Island $10.6K

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 64% less than in Saint John Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Saint John Island 354% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$70.5 $70.5

-75.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$147 $147

-57.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$14.70 $14.70

-25.03%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$9.12 $9.12

-65.79%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$3.57 $3.57

-36.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$3.44 $3.44

-49.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.86 $4.86

-29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.81 $6.81

-45.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$3.12 $3.12

-62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$8.12 $8.12

-77.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$12.15 $12.15

-87.33%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$11.83 $11.83

-65.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$31.38 $31.38

-58.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$32.45 $32.45

-75.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$24.40 $24.40

-27.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$22.40 $22.40

-89.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$4.02 $4.02

-56.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$17.72 $17.72

-89.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$12.20 $12.20

-79.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$7.90 $7.90

-76.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$7.88 $7.88

-75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$5.13 $5.13

-71.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$3.49 $3.49

-77.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$8.88 $8.88

-24.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$23.37 $23.37

-75.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.42 $4.42

-69.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$6.02 $6.02

-64.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$7.10 $7.10

-67.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$150 $150

-70.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$30.19 $30.19

-86.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$49.78 $49.78

-65.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.63 $1.63

34.36%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$47.1K $47.1K

-28.27%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$52.8K $52.8K

-27.54%

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

$164 €146

$302 $302

-45.85%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$99.7 $99.7

-81.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$101 $101

-67.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

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

$684 €608

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$81.6 $81.6

27.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$49.95 $49.95

-7.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$83.4 $83.4

19.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$99.9 $99.9

24.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$3,920 $3,920

-59.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$3,521 $3,521

-66.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$4,982 $4,982

-42.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$4,584 $4,584

-56.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$4,557 $4,557

-64.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-45.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saint John Island: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Saint John Island

$3.5K 57.3% 201% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Saint John Island

$989 16.1% 262% $716

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Saint John Island

$784 12.8% 217% $536

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Saint John Island

$503 8.2% 134% $288

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Saint John Island

$142 2.3% 15.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Saint John Island

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Saint John Island

$209 * 3.4% 232% $146

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $3,920 in Saint John Island. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John Island pays 185% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $147 in Saint John Island for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $989 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

08:32 8:32 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

4,170

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Saint John Island 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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 John Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Saint John Island differ by about 179% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $6,147 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 185% lower in Saint John Island. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $3,920 in Saint John Island. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 262% higher in Saint John Island. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $6,147 in Saint John Island – a 179% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $6,147 in Saint John Island, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Saint John Island. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 John Island 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in Saint John Island. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.