Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San Marcos, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in San Marcos, TX
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San Marcos, TX Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

San Marcos, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in San Marcos, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX.

Lisbon $2,223
San Marcos, TX $2,361

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $3,510 in San Marcos, TX.

Lisbon $3,271
San Marcos, TX $3,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,658 in San Marcos, TX.

Lisbon $4,319
San Marcos, TX $4,658

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 6% less than in San Marcos, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, San Marcos, TX 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$14.98 $14.98

10.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$60.5 $60.5

1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$11.80 $11.80

-4.49%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.72 $4.72

-35.17%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.90 $2.90

-22.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.73 $1.73

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.12 $5.12

-33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.11 $6.11

-44.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.76 $0.76

47.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.20 $3.20

-41.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.74 $3.74

-59.09%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.77 $2.77

42.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.06 $10.06

26.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$9.81 $9.81

-19.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$12.95 $12.95

31.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$6.21 $6.21

-63.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.13 $1.13

54.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$6.58 $6.58

-71.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$4.83 $4.83

-46.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.99 $3.99

-53.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.92 $2.92

-30.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.83 $1.83

-21.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.80 $1.80

-54.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$8.49 $8.49

-22.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$13.93 $13.93

-59.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.77 $1.77

-27.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.94 $3.94

-47.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.57 $4.57

-12.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.82 $1.82

-40.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$59.5 $59.5

-72.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.81 $0.81

181.48%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$36.0K $36.0K

-6.57%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$25.0K $25.0K

57.04%

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

$167 €149

$134 $134

24.97%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$40.38 $40.38

-53.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$55.8 $55.8

-40.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$68.9 $68.9

-33.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$11.32 $11.32

-13.07%

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

$677 €602

$665 $665

1.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$17.7K $17.7K

-4.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$59.4 $59.4

70.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$38.15 $38.15

19.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$83.0 $83.0

20.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$123 $123

0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$1,350 $1,350

19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$1,258 $1,258

-4.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$2,855 $2,855

0.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,205 $2,205

-9.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,463 $2,463

207.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,874 $1,874

129.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$3,143 $3,143

-49.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.45

-40.31%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Marcos, TX: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

San Marcos, TX

$1.3K 53.3% 5.1% $60

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

San Marcos, TX

$363 15.4% 34.9% $94

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

San Marcos, TX

$268 11.4% 10.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

San Marcos, TX

$230 9.8% 4.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

San Marcos, TX

$136 5.8% 18% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

San Marcos, TX

$92 3.9% 39.4% $26

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

San Marcos, TX

$14 * 0.6% 78.3% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $1,350 in San Marcos, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Marcos, TX pays 98% 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 $60.0 in San Marcos, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $363, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

14:16 2:16 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

44,894

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon San Marcos, TX 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
San Marcos, TX

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 Marcos, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and San Marcos, TX differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $2,361 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in San Marcos, TX. 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 $1,350 in San Marcos, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in San Marcos, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Marcos, TX. 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 Marcos, TX 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 6% less than in San Marcos, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.