Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saint John's

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John’s: $1,802 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,802

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,802 in Saint John’s.

Lisbon $2,210
Saint John's $1,802

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,835 in Saint John’s.

Lisbon $3,275
Saint John's $2,835

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,867 in Saint John’s.

Lisbon $4,341
Saint John's $3,867

Living in Lisbon is roughly 23% more expensive than in Saint John’s, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Saint John’s 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$16.92 EC$45.68

-1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$56.5 EC$152

9.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$9.19 EC$24.81

23.61%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$3.62 EC$9.77

-17.96%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$2.01 EC$5.42

13.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.18 EC$3.19

47.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$2.38 EC$6.44

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.46 EC$12.05

-25.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.17 EC$5.86

-46.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.73 EC$7.37

-30.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.82 EC$4.90

-17.03%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$6.73 EC$18.16

-40.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$8.74 EC$23.61

48.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$7.62 EC$20.59

1.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$12.01 EC$32.43

47.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$6.64 EC$17.92

-65.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.51 EC$6.79

-31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$8.33 EC$22.49

-77.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$8.01 EC$21.63

-67.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.81 EC$7.58

-35.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.90 EC$7.82

-32.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.54 EC$6.86

-42.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.53 EC$4.12

-52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$5.39 EC$14.55

4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.93 EC$5.20

-29.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.34 EC$9.03

-35.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.57 EC$4.25

40.13%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

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

$38.7K €34.6K

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

$161 €144

$257 EC$693

-37.23%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$40.33 EC$109

-54.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$80.2 EC$216

-59.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$63.6 EC$172

-29.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$6.34 EC$17.11

51.42%

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

$668 €596

$187 EC$506

256.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$1,860 EC$5,023

846.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$49.10 EC$133

107.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$74.8 EC$202

31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$1,052 EC$2,839

52.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$678 EC$1,830

75.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$1,648 EC$4,448

70.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$1,503 EC$4,057

33.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

$1,383 EC$3,734

13.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.5

-30.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Saint John's: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Saint John's

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Saint John's

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Saint John's

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Saint John's

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Saint John's

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Saint John's

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Saint John's

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,052 in Saint John’s. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 14% 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 in Lisbon vs $56 in Saint John’s. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $375, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

21,926 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.02 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Saint John's 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Saint John's

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's: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,802 in Saint John’s, so Saint John’s is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,052 in Saint John’s. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,802 in Saint John’s – Saint John’s is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Saint John’s gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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’s are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Saint John’s wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.