Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San Miguelito

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguelito: $962 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in San Miguelito
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San Miguelito Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

San Miguelito

🇵🇦 Panama

$962

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $962 in San Miguelito.

Lisbon $2,206
San Miguelito $962

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,540 in San Miguelito.

Lisbon $3,276
San Miguelito $1,540

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,118 in San Miguelito.

Lisbon $4,346
San Miguelito $2,118

Living in Lisbon is roughly 129% more expensive than in San Miguelito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, San Miguelito is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$11.70 PAB 11.70

44.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$48.12 PAB 48.12

26.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$7.97 PAB 7.97

37.77%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$4.16 PAB 4.16

-26.68%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$1.99 PAB 1.99

14.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.58 PAB 1.58

6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$3.38 PAB 3.38

1.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$4.04 PAB 4.04

-3.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.91 PAB 1.91

-39.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.67 PAB 2.67

-29.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$3.35 PAB 3.35

-55.22%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.81 PAB 2.81

46.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$12.22 PAB 12.22

6.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$6.67 PAB 6.67

20.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$10.59 PAB 10.59

68.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.07 PAB 4.07

-44.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.89 PAB 1.89

-7.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$4.17 PAB 4.17

-56.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.02 PAB 4.02

-33.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$3.38 PAB 3.38

-47.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-54.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.42 PAB 2.42

-39.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.77 PAB 1.77

-57.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$6.07 PAB 6.07

9.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$11.49 PAB 11.49

-50.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.42 PAB 1.42

-9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.81 PAB 2.81

-23.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.51 PAB 2.51

58.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.78 PAB 1.78

-64.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$22.36 PAB 22.36

-15.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.19 PAB 1.19

91.60%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$24.6K PAB 24.6K

35.81%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

80.63%

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

$158 €141

$130 PAB 130

21.74%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$27.62 PAB 27.62

-36.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$49.46 PAB 49.46

-36.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$51.0 PAB 51.0

-12.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$8.67 PAB 8.67

10.50%

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

$674 €598

$536 PAB 536

25.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$9,633 PAB 9,633

94.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$67.6 PAB 67.6

51.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$47.43 PAB 47.43

-3.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$92.7 PAB 92.7

10.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$110 PAB 110

10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.39

-40.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Miguelito: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

San Miguelito

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

San Miguelito

$326 33.9% 18.7% $51

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

San Miguelito

$207 21.5% 15.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

San Miguelito

$207 21.5% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

San Miguelito

$143 14.9% 14.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

San Miguelito

$68 7.1% 7.1% $4.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

San Miguelito

$11 * 1.2% 81.1% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $48 in San Miguelito. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $326, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇦 San Miguelito

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

18:55 6:55 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

375,409

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon San Miguelito 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
San Miguelito

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 Miguelito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $962 in San Miguelito, so San Miguelito is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,444 in San Miguelito 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.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $962 in San Miguelito – San Miguelito is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. San Miguelito is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.