Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and San Sebastian

For one person, living is cheaper in San Sebastian: $2,066 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,066 in San Sebastian.

Lisbon $2,210
San Sebastian $2,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,076 in San Sebastian.

Lisbon $3,275
San Sebastian $3,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,086 in San Sebastian.

Lisbon $4,341
San Sebastian $4,086

Living in Lisbon is roughly 7% more expensive than in San Sebastian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, San Sebastian 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$18.85 €16.89

-11.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$61.9 €55.5

-0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.78 €9.66

5.38%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.31 €2.07

28.57%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.84 €2.54

-19.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.63 €1.46

6.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.28 €2.94

3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.70 €3.31

-10.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.18 €1.06

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.12 €1.01

70.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.84 €1.65

-17.93%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.62 €3.24

11.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$22.61 €20.26

-42.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$7.91 €7.08

-1.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$20.65 €18.50

-14.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.50 €2.24

-8.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.76 €2.48

-37.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.30 €2.96

-43.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.92 €2.62

-11.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.60 €2.33

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.03 €1.81

-2.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.19 €1.07

23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.03 €0.92

-30.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.79 €6.09

-3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.36 €6.59

-23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.72 €1.54

-20.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.77 €1.58

20.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.16 €1.94

7.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$33.69 €30.19

32.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$6.82 €6.11

-43.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.89 €0.79

20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$22.07 €19.78

-25.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.70 €1.52

29.41%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$35.2K €31.5K

-2.88%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.0K €27.8K

24.82%

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

$161 €144

$136 €122

18.60%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$25.48 €22.84

-27.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$35.61 €31.91

-8.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$42.24 €37.85

5.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$19.49 €17.46

-2.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.51 €7.62

12.81%

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

$668 €598

$454 €406

47.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$14.0K €12.5K

26.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$101 €90.1

1.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$32.72 €29.32

35.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$74.2 €66.5

32.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$132 €119

-6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,470 €1,317

9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,024 €917

16.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,371 €2,124

18.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,671 €1,498

20.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$9,813 €8,794

-20.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$5,360 €4,803

-14.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,011 €2,698

-47.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.92

31.85%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6% 14% $166

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

San Sebastian

$327 15.8% 20.1% $55

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

San Sebastian

$253 12.2% 4.1% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

San Sebastian

$197 9.5% 7.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

San Sebastian

$153 7.4% 7.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

San Sebastian

$59 2.9% 7% $4.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

San Sebastian

$54 2.6% 15.2% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 91% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $62 in San Sebastian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $327 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

03:35 3:35 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

188,743

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon San Sebastian 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
San Sebastian

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 Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,066 in San Sebastian, so San Sebastian is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,470 in San Sebastian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,066 in San Sebastian – San Sebastian is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. San Sebastian 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and San Sebastian are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.