Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San Juan

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in San Juan: $2,223 and $2,253 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,253 in San Juan.

Lisbon $2,223
San Juan $2,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,373 in San Juan.

Lisbon $3,271
San Juan $3,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,494 in San Juan.

Lisbon $4,319
San Juan $4,494

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 1% less than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, San Juan 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$19.43 $19.43

-15.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$82.3 $82.3

-25.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.02

$9.43 $9.43

19.51%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.56 $3.56

-14.04%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.83 $1.83

23.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.45 $1.45

19.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.04 $3.04

11.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.13 $5.13

-33.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.19 $2.19

-48.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.69 $3.69

-49.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.36 $2.36

-35.17%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$7.33 $7.33

-45.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.75 $12.75

0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.55 $9.55

-17.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$13.21 $13.21

28.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$5.13 $5.13

-55.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.66 $2.66

-34.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$5.00 $5.00

-63.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.92 $4.92

-47.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.71 $3.71

-49.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.90 $3.90

-48.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.53 $3.53

-59.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.61 $1.61

-49.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$11.78 $11.78

-44.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$15.84 $15.84

-64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$3.07 $3.07

-58.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$4.10 $4.10

-49.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.71 $0.71

230.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.29

$29.97 $29.97

47.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.53 $2.53

57.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.46 $1.46

-25.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.80

$42.26 $42.26

-60.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.24 $1.24

83.87%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$40.3K $40.3K

-16.50%

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

$39.3K €34.9K

$27.7K $27.7K

41.77%

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

$167 €149

$327 $327

-48.80%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$68.4 $68.4

-72.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$70.4 $70.4

-53.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.92

$41.46 $41.46

10.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$7.70 $7.70

149.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$10.40 $10.40

-5.38%

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

$677 €602

$821 $821

-17.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$12.5K $12.5K

35.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.0

$56.1 $56.1

80.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$61.4 $61.4

-25.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$109 $109

-8.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$116 $116

6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,435

$1,802 $1,802

-10.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$846 $846

41.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,972 $2,972

-3.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,476 $1,476

34.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,739

$7,283 $7,283

4.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$3,377 $3,377

27.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,704 $2,704

-41.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.55

-41.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

San Juan

$846 37.6% 29.3% $351

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

San Juan

$417 18.5% 54.8% $148

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

San Juan

$265 11.8% 9.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

San Juan

$466 20.7% 112% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

San Juan

$154 6.8% 7.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

San Juan

$62 2.8% 5.2% $3.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

San Juan

$43 1.9% 32.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,802 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays 70% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $82.0 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $417 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

18:27 6:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

322,854 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon San Juan 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and San Juan differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,253 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in San Juan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,802 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $821 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in San Juan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,253 in San Juan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Juan. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Juan 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in San Juan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.