Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saint John, New Brunswick

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick: $1,934 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saint John, New Brunswick

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, New Brunswick actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Lisbon $2,223
Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,885 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Lisbon $3,271
Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,836 in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Lisbon $4,319
Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836

Living in Lisbon is roughly 15% more expensive than in Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Saint John, New Brunswick 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$18.31 CA$25.89

-9.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$59.0 CA$83.5

3.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$10.43 CA$14.75

8.05%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.00 CA$4.25

2.00%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.69 CA$2.39

33.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.06 CA$1.50

63.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.43 CA$6.26

-23.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.01 CA$7.08

-32.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.17 CA$3.07

-48.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.67 CA$3.77

-30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.12 CA$4.41

-50.96%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.45 CA$4.88

14.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$13.17 CA$18.61

-3.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$11.72 CA$16.56

-32.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$12.78 CA$18.06

32.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.79 CA$6.77

-52.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.47 CA$2.08

19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.18 CA$5.91

-55.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.90 CA$5.51

-34.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.00 CA$2.83

-7.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.20 CA$3.11

-8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.47 CA$3.49

-41.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.41 CA$1.99

-41.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$13.92 CA$19.67

-52.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$9.90 CA$13.99

-43.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.79 CA$2.53

-28.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.12 CA$3.00

-2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.06 CA$2.92

14.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$56.0 CA$79.2

-21.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.92 CA$4.13

36.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.06 CA$1.50

2.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$17.34 CA$24.52

-4.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.25 CA$1.76

82.40%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$24.3K CA$34.4K

38.40%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$18.8K CA$26.6K

109.03%

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

$167 €149

$120 CA$169

40.16%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$41.55 CA$58.7

-54.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$64.7 CA$91.4

-48.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$52.3 CA$73.9

-12.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$35.03 CA$49.52

-45.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$12.78 CA$18.07

-23.00%

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

$677 €602

$378 CA$534

79.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$11.1K CA$15.7K

52.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$48.34 CA$68.3

109.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$35.16 CA$49.71

30.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$103 CA$145

-2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$106 CA$150

15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$990 CA$1,400

63.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$819 CA$1,158

46.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,610 CA$2,277

77.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,304 CA$1,843

52.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,018 CA$2,854

275.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,093 CA$2,959

105.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,402 CA$3,396

-33.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.69

-17.91%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$819 42.4% 31.6% $378

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1% 30% $81

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3% 6.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7% 2.9% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8% 21% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4% 18.5% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8% 15.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John, New Brunswick pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $350, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

04:25 4:25 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

70,063

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Saint John, New Brunswick 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Saint John, New Brunswick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Saint John, New Brunswick differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,934 including rent). Saint John, New Brunswick is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $378 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saint John, New Brunswick but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Saint John, New Brunswick 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, New Brunswick 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 John, New Brunswick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.