Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San Rafael, Argentina

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,357 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lisbon, Portugal
San Rafael, Argentina
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
San Rafael
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,357
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,357 in San Rafael.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • San Rafael $1,357

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,260 in San Rafael.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • San Rafael $2,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,163 in San Rafael.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • San Rafael $3,163

Living in Lisbon is roughly 63% more expensive than in San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.87
$10.81 ARS 16.7K
54.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.2
$50.9 ARS 78.7K
21.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.14
$14.80 ARS 22.9K
-23.24%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.65
$4.47 ARS 6,901
-33.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.04
$2.42 ARS 3,738
-5.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.95 ARS 3,013
-10.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.04
$4.09 ARS 6,324
-16.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$4.38 ARS 6,761
-24.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.03
$1.33 ARS 2,056
-12.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$2.21 ARS 3,418
-13.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$2.76 ARS 4,262
-45.29%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.59
$3.24 ARS 5,000
24.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.56
$14.53 ARS 22.4K
-10.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.94
$6.42 ARS 9,917
21.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.86
$11.09 ARS 17.1K
60.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.36 ARS 3,640
-2.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$2.15 ARS 3,326
-19.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.29 ARS 1,998
44.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.31
$3.18 ARS 4,913
-18.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.93 ARS 2,976
-5.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.52 ARS 2,350
29.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$2.01 ARS 3,106
-26.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$2.44 ARS 3,765
-70.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.88
$2.71 ARS 4,192
142.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.01
$5.09 ARS 7,862
10.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.76 ARS 2,721
-22.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.91 ARS 4,500
-26.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.08
$1.00 ARS 1,542
133.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €39.91
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.44
$1.97 ARS 3,037
95.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.99 ARS 1,523
8.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.70
$4.97 ARS 7,675
231.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.27 ARS 1,955
73.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.5K
$27.1K ARS 41.9M
26.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.6K
$33.0K ARS 50.9M
17.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$146 ARS 225.1K
10.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.44
$17.12 ARS 26.4K
7.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.24
$23.87 ARS 36.9K
37.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.79
$29.97 ARS 46.3K
48.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.06
$17.67 ARS 27.3K
8.09%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.57
$7.24 ARS 11.2K
32.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €596
$172 ARS 265.9K
287.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$4,098 ARS 6.3M
329.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.1
$126 ARS 194.4K
-18.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.72
$141 ARS 217.6K
-68.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.0
$145 ARS 223.7K
-31.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €110
$158 ARS 244.0K
-21.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,437
$545 ARS 842.3K
195.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,063
$342 ARS 529.0K
247.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,512
$1,077 ARS 1.7M
161.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,798
$900 ARS 1.4M
123.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,002
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,087
$1,277 ARS 2.0M
258.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
San Rafael
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,407
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
59
-93.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
San Rafael
$342 71.2% $848
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
San Rafael
$285 4.7% $13
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
San Rafael
$231 4.7% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
San Rafael
$187 12.1% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
San Rafael
$256 54.4% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
San Rafael
$44 30.3% $19
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
San Rafael
$11 * 82.8% $52

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $545 in San Rafael. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $51 in San Rafael. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $285, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇦🇷 San Rafael
🕒 Local time
10:50 10:50 AM
07:50 7:50 AM
3 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
118,850
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon San Rafael 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in San Rafael?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,357 in San Rafael, so San Rafael is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to San Rafael?
You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,035 in San Rafael 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in San Rafael?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $545 in San Rafael. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or San Rafael?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,357 in San Rafael – San Rafael is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. San Rafael is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and San Rafael?
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.
Is Lisbon or San Rafael safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and San Rafael are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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