Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in San José

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $913 in San José.

Lisbon $2,202
San José $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,449 in San José.

Lisbon $3,274
San José $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,985 in San José.

Lisbon $4,346
San José $1,985

Living in Lisbon is roughly 141% more expensive than in San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, San José is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$12.95 UYU 520

31.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$43.87 UYU 1,761

41.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$13.82 UYU 555

-20.26%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.88 UYU 196

-36.07%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.38 UYU 95.6

-4.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.19 UYU 87.9

-20.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.92 UYU 117

17.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.48 UYU 140

7.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.99 UYU 39.77

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.01 UYU 80.7

-7.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.47 UYU 59.0

4.76%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.62 UYU 105

54.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$12.01 UYU 482

7.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.26 UYU 291

8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.07 UYU 484

46.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.22 UYU 48.77

85.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.54 UYU 61.8

13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.21 UYU 48.71

56.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.54 UYU 61.7

66.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.98 UYU 39.49

88.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.28 UYU 51.5

53.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.49 UYU 59.7

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.99 UYU 79.9

-61.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$9.82 UYU 394

-31.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$8.17 UYU 328

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.05 UYU 123

-55.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.35 UYU 135

-37.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.50 UYU 141

12.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$3.45 UYU 139

-69.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$9.95 UYU 399

72.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.15 UYU 86.3

1.86%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-7.22%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-4.46%

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

$164 €146

$113 UYU 4,547

44.58%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$23.78 UYU 955

-22.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$47.11 UYU 1,891

-30.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$12.35 UYU 496

-21.05%

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

$684 €608

$494 UYU 19.8K

38.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

163.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$88.3 UYU 3,542

17.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$37.57 UYU 1,508

22.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$164 UYU 6,601

-39.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$117 UYU 4,699

6.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-23.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

San José

$256 28.1% 6.1% $17

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

San José

$243 26.7% 1.6% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

San José

$184 20.2% 14.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

San José

$183 20.1% 8.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 62.2% $41

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 67% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $44.00 in San José for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $256 per month, with San José cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

36,747

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon San José 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
San José

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 San José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and San José differ by about 141% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $913 including rent). San José is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $1,369 in San José 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. 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 $913 in San José – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $913 in San José versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San José but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes San José 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 San José 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 San José gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.