Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sanremo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanremo: $1,859 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Sanremo
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Sanremo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Sanremo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sanremo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,859 in Sanremo.

Lisbon $2,202
Sanremo $1,859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,836 in Sanremo.

Lisbon $3,274
Sanremo $2,836

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,813 in Sanremo.

Lisbon $4,346
Sanremo $3,813

Living in Lisbon is roughly 18% more expensive than in Sanremo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Sanremo 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$22.58 €20.08

-24.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$66.8 €59.4

-6.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.62 €8.55

14.55%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.09 €1.86

49.28%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.60 €2.31

-12.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.10 €0.98

58.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$5.25 €4.67

-34.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.41 €3.92

-15.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.68 €1.49

-30.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.42 €2.15

-23.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.58 €3.19

-56.98%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.74 €4.22

-14.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$20.45 €18.19

-36.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$13.67 €12.16

-42.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$22.94 €20.40

-23.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.82 €2.51

-19.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.87 €1.66

-6.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.10 €1.87

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.73 €2.43

-6.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.21 €1.97

-16.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.15 €1.02

71.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.73 €1.54

-16.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.57 €0.51

35.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.53 €5.81

2.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.77 €6.02

-16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.89 €1.68

-27.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.42 €2.15

-12.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.99 €1.77

16.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$52.0 €46.27

-14.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$7.71 €6.86

-48.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.64 €1.46

-35.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$64.6 €57.4

-73.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.00 €1.77

9.50%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$32.5K €29.0K

3.80%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$30.7K €27.3K

24.65%

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

$164 €146

$247 €220

-33.76%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$10.19 €9.06

81.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$29.15 €25.93

13.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$77.4 €68.8

-40.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$23.68 €21.06

-21.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.86 €8.77

-1.12%

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

$684 €608

$834 €742

-17.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$19.1K €17.0K

-7.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$102 €90.3

2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$46.71 €41.55

-1.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$116 €104

-14.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$166 €147

-24.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$731 €650

117.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$550 €489

112.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,260 €1,121

126.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$914 €813

118.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,408 €3,921

76.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,661 €2,367

66.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,701 €1,513

-5.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.18

21.07%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sanremo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Sanremo

$550 29.6% 52.9% $619

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Sanremo

$371 20% 35.8% $98

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Sanremo

$284 15.3% 14.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Sanremo

$287 15.4% 33.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Sanremo

$194 10.4% 14.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Sanremo

$97 5.2% 48.6% $32

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sanremo

$76 4.1% 20.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $731 in Sanremo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sanremo pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $67.0 in Sanremo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $371 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇮🇹 Sanremo

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

54,807

💱 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 Sanremo 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Sanremo

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 Sanremo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sanremo differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,859 including rent). Sanremo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Sanremo. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $731 in Sanremo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $834 in Sanremo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 36% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,859 in Sanremo versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sanremo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sanremo 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 Sanremo 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 Sanremo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.