Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Petersburg: $1,375 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Saint Petersburg
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,375
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saint Petersburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,375 in Saint Petersburg.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Saint Petersburg $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,195 in Saint Petersburg.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Saint Petersburg $2,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,014 in Saint Petersburg.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Saint Petersburg $3,014

Living in Lisbon is roughly 61% more expensive than in Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$12.42 ₽1,000
34.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$44.05 ₽3,547
40.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$6.95 ₽560
63.45%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$3.26 ₽263
-8.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.61 ₽129
42.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.78 ₽62.6
123.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$2.81 ₽226
21.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$3.63 ₽292
-8.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.19 ₽95.9
-2.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.95 ₽76.8
101.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.70 ₽137
-11.18%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.67 ₽134
140.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$12.39 ₽998
4.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$6.64 ₽535
17.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$12.85 ₽1,035
38.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.75 ₽141
31.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.64 ₽132
5.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.79 ₽145
3.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$3.36 ₽270
-22.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$0.83 ₽66.8
119.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$0.63 ₽50.6
212.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.33 ₽107
10.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.78 ₽62.7
-7.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$3.16 ₽255
108.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$9.41 ₽758
-40.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.19 ₽95.5
14.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.97 ₽159
8.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$1.10 ₽88.8
111.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
$56.1 ₽4,518
-20.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$2.80 ₽226
37.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.60 ₽48.55
78.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$9.01 ₽726
82.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.88 ₽71.2
150.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$43.0K ₽3.5M
-20.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$37.4K ₽3.0M
3.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$156 ₽12.6K
3.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$7.85 ₽632
134.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$8.71 ₽701
275.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$41.31 ₽3,327
7.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
$43.82 ₽3,529
-56.41%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$7.57 ₽609
26.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$663 ₽53.4K
0.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$17.9K ₽1.4M
-1.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$98.5 ₽7,935
3.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$54.2 ₽4,364
-17.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$140 ₽11.3K
-29.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$128 ₽10.3K
-3.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$772 ₽62.1K
108.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$466 ₽37.6K
155.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$1,619 ₽130.4K
73.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$974 ₽78.4K
106.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$4,632 ₽373.0K
69.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
$2,886 ₽232.4K
58.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$1,230 ₽99.0K
28.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
19.69
-80.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Saint Petersburg
$466 60.8% $724
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Saint Petersburg
$234 14.2% $39
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Saint Petersburg
$190 21.6% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Saint Petersburg
$173 18.6% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Saint Petersburg
$189 14.1% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Saint Petersburg
$56 11.5% $7.3
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Saint Petersburg
$66 4.9% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $772 in Saint Petersburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 28% 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 $44 in Saint Petersburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $234 per month, with Saint Petersburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg
🕒 Local time
07:33 7:33 AM
10:33 10:33 AM
3 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
5,597,763
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Saint Petersburg 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Saint Petersburg

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 Petersburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Saint Petersburg?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,375 in Saint Petersburg, so Saint Petersburg is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Saint Petersburg?
Average pay runs 28% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Saint Petersburg?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $772 in Saint Petersburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Saint Petersburg?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $663 in Saint Petersburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Saint Petersburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Where should digital nomads live: Lisbon or Saint Petersburg?
Both work as nomad bases, but Saint Petersburg delivers better value at $1,375 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Saint Petersburg hard to pass up.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Saint Petersburg?
It comes down to priorities – Saint Petersburg wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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