Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Saintes

For one person, living is cheaper in Saintes: $1,872 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Saintes
Learn more

Saintes Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Saintes

🇫🇷 France

$1,872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Saintes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,872 in Saintes.

Lisbon $2,210
Saintes $1,872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,858 in Saintes.

Lisbon $3,275
Saintes $2,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,843 in Saintes.

Lisbon $4,341
Saintes $3,843

Living in Lisbon is roughly 18% more expensive than in Saintes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Saintes 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$22.58 €20.29

-26.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$68.3 €61.4

-9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$6.52 €5.86

74.23%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.69 €3.31

-19.51%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.71 €2.44

-15.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.35 €1.21

28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$7.35 €6.60

-53.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.62 €4.15

-28.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.04 €0.93

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.85 €1.66

3.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.88 €1.69

-19.68%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.26 €2.03

77.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$23.82 €21.41

-45.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$11.79 €10.59

-34.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$17.67 €15.88

0.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.20 €3.77

-45.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$3.71 €3.33

-53.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.94 €1.74

-4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$5.14 €4.62

-49.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.76 €0.68

139.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.20 €1.07

64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.71 €1.53

-14.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.34 €0.31

111.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$14.46 €12.99

-54.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$12.93 €11.62

-56.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.39 €2.15

-43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.36 €2.12

-9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.86 €1.67

25.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$44.18 €39.69

1.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.37 €3.93

-11.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.31 €2.08

-53.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$33.94 €30.49

-51.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.94 €1.74

13.40%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$36.5K €32.8K

-6.28%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.1K €34.2K

1.77%

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

$161 €145

$134 €120

20.28%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$11.13 €10.00

65.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$33.75 €30.33

-2.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$35.92 €32.27

24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.91 €8.91

-3.13%

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

$668 €600

$849 €762

-21.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.9K €9,791

61.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$109 €97.9

-6.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$38.98 €35.02

14.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$108 €97.0

-8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$150 €134

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$691 €621

132.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$717 €644

65.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$1,441 €1,295

95.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$1,179 €1,060

70.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$3,571 €3,209

119.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$3,323 €2,986

37.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.79

1.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Saintes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Saintes

$717 38.3% 39.7% $473

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Saintes

$364 19.4% 33.5% $91

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Saintes

$307 16.4% 26.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Saintes

$179 9.6% 15.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Saintes

$183 9.8% 10% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Saintes

$56 3% 12.6% $8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Saintes

$68 3.6% 6.9% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $691 in Saintes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $68 in Saintes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $364 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇫🇷 Saintes

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

25,518

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Saintes 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Saintes

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 Saintes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Saintes differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,872 including rent). Saintes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,808 in Saintes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $691 in Saintes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 25% 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 $1,872 in Saintes – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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