Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San Rafael, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $4,929 in San Rafael, CA, rent and utilities included – about $32,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
238

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael, CA
Learn more

San Rafael, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

San Rafael, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $4,929 in San Rafael, CA.

Lisbon $2,223
San Rafael, CA $4,929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $6,391 in San Rafael, CA.

Lisbon $3,271
San Rafael, CA $6,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $7,853 in San Rafael, CA.

Lisbon $4,319
San Rafael, CA $7,853

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 55% less than in San Rafael, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, San Rafael, CA 265% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$24.68 $24.68

-33.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$120 $120

-48.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$12.05 $12.05

-6.47%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.74 $4.74

-35.44%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.03 $3.03

-25.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.93 $2.93

-40.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.38 $5.38

-36.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.98 $6.98

-51.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.42 $1.42

-21.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$4.51 $4.51

-58.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$9.69 $9.69

-84.21%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$5.42 $5.42

-26.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$23.21 $23.21

-45.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$15.45 $15.45

-48.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$18.15 $18.15

-6.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$7.63 $7.63

-70.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.93 $2.93

-40.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$6.29 $6.29

-70.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$8.58 $8.58

-70.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$5.89 $5.89

-68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$5.44 $5.44

-62.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.07 $3.07

-53.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$3.89 $3.89

-78.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$10.85 $10.85

-39.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.96 $12.96

-56.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.23 $2.23

-42.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.99 $2.99

-30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.05 $2.05

14.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$65.7 $65.7

-32.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.10 $4.10

-2.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$4.44 $4.44

-75.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$28.84 $28.84

-42.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.44 $1.44

58.33%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$32.0K $32.0K

5.09%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$26.4K $26.4K

48.64%

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

$167 €149

$253 $253

-33.92%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$85.4 $85.4

-77.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$61.3 $61.3

-46.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$124 $124

-62.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$30.21 $30.21

-36.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$13.14 $13.14

-25.11%

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

$677 €602

$2,088 $2,088

-67.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$25.1K $25.1K

-32.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$59.7 $59.7

69.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$42.92 $42.92

6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$96.8 $96.8

3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$126 $126

-2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$3,074 $3,074

-47.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$3,202 $3,202

-62.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$4,278 $4,278

-33.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$3,860 $3,860

-48.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$7,456 $7,456

1.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$5,281 $5,281

-18.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$7,077 $7,077

-77.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.62

-41.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Rafael, CA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

San Rafael, CA

$3.2K 65% 168% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

San Rafael, CA

$575 11.7% 114% $306

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

San Rafael, CA

$355 7.2% 46.6% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

San Rafael, CA

$400 8.1% 82.4% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

San Rafael, CA

$147 3% 11.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

San Rafael, CA

$150 3% 129% $84

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

San Rafael, CA

$100 2% 59% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $3,074 in San Rafael, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Rafael, CA pays 346% 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 $120 in San Rafael, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $575 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 San Rafael, CA

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

58,704

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon San Rafael, CA 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
San Rafael, CA

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, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and San Rafael, CA differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $4,929 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 346% lower in San Rafael, CA. 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 $3,074 in San Rafael, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $2,088 in San Rafael, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 114% higher in San Rafael, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $4,929 in San Rafael, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Rafael, CA. 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 Rafael, CA 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 122% less than in San Rafael, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.