Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in San Jose: $2,210 and $2,105 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,105 in San Jose.

Lisbon $2,210
San Jose $2,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,074 in San Jose.

Lisbon $3,275
San Jose $3,074

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,043 in San Jose.

Lisbon $4,341
San Jose $4,043

Living in Lisbon is roughly 5% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, San Jose 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$12.43 ₡5,609

33.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$60.9 ₡27.5K

1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.72 ₡5,288

-3.07%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.47 ₡2,019

-33.56%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.75 ₡1,241

-16.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.92 ₡867

-9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.26 ₡1,470

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.45 ₡2,009

-25.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.36 ₡1,063

-50.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$3.09 ₡1,393

-38.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.40 ₡1,083

-37.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.44 ₡1,553

16.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.73 ₡4,841

20.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.36 ₡4,674

-25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$13.84 ₡6,243

28.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$5.15 ₡2,323

-55.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.65 ₡746

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.67 ₡2,109

-60.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.98 ₡1,798

-34.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.90 ₡1,761

-53.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$3.65 ₡1,647

-46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.08 ₡487

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$3.10 ₡1,398

-76.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.08 ₡2,745

8.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$20.05 ₡9,047

-72.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.77 ₡1,252

-50.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.69 ₡1,666

-42.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.12 ₡503

108.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-33.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$2.49 ₡1,122

54.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.63 ₡735

-34.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$8.47 ₡3,821

94.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.57 ₡708

40.13%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-1.10%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-8.53%

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

$161 €145

$93.2 ₡42.0K

73.08%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-48.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-44.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$69.0 ₡31.1K

-35.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$24.80 ₡11.2K

-22.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.85 ₡3,543

22.29%

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

$668 €600

$996 ₡449.4K

-32.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

3.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$70.1 ₡31.6K

45.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-19.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$130 ₡58.5K

-24.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$131 ₡59.2K

-5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$1,164 ₡525.2K

38.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$945 ₡426.4K

25.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,993 ₡899.4K

41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,404 ₡633.4K

43.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,727 ₡1.2M

187.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,040 ₡920.7K

124.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,011 ₡456.1K

55.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 20.6% $245

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

San Jose

$399 19% 46.7% $127

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

San Jose

$232 11% 4.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

San Jose

$188 9% 11.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 4.8% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

San Jose

$85 4% 32.9% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 29.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,164 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $61 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $399, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon San Jose 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
San Jose

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and San Jose differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $2,105 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% 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 $1,164 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 32% 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 $2,105 in San Jose – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,105 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

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