Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Clara, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $4,425 in Santa Clara, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
213

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clara, CA
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Santa Clara, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Clara, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santa Clara, 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 Santa Clara, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $4,425 in Santa Clara, CA.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Clara, CA $4,425

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $6,096 in Santa Clara, CA.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Clara, CA $6,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $7,767 in Santa Clara, CA.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Clara, CA $7,767

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 50% less than in Santa Clara, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Santa Clara, CA 225% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$24.87 $24.87

-33.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$111 $111

-44.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$12.24 $12.24

-7.19%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$5.71 $5.71

-47.99%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.06 $3.06

-25.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.39 $2.39

-27.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$7.79 $7.79

-56.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$8.04 $8.04

-58.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.31 $1.31

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.33 $4.33

-55.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$4.68 $4.68

-67.74%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$5.28 $5.28

-23.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$24.38 $24.38

-46.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$11.60 $11.60

-33.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$13.30 $13.30

33.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.54 $5.54

-58.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.27 $2.27

-23.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.74 $4.74

-60.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.69 $5.69

-54.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.37 $3.37

-45.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.09 $3.09

-36.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$3.04 $3.04

-51.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.74 $2.74

-73.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.86 $11.86

-44.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.74 $12.74

-55.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.77 $1.77

-23.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.53 $2.53

-15.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.07 $3.07

-24.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$90.2 $90.2

-50.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.17 $3.17

21.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.38 $2.38

-55.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$40.70 $40.70

-59.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.54 $1.54

42.86%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$28.0K $28.0K

21.95%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.1K $26.1K

48.13%

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

$161 €144

$188 $188

-14.15%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$38.81 $38.81

-52.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$62.2 $62.2

-47.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$160 $160

-72.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$13.96 $13.96

36.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$16.08 $16.08

-40.30%

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

$668 €598

$2,128 $2,128

-68.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$37.5K $37.5K

-52.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$51.9 $51.9

96.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$40.19 $40.19

10.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$77.9 $77.9

26.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$60.7 $60.7

103.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$3,542 $3,542

-54.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$2,885 $2,885

-58.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$4,909 $4,909

-42.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$4,189 $4,189

-51.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$10.2K $10.2K

-23.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$8,513 $8,513

-46.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$8,224 $8,224

-80.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.77

-43.13%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santa Clara, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Clara, CA

$2.9K 65.2% 142% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Clara, CA

$457 10.3% 67.7% $184

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Clara, CA

$381 8.6% 57.1% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Clara, CA

$289 6.5% 36% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Clara, CA

$104 2.4% 37.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Clara, CA

$192 4.4% 202% $129

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Clara, CA

$118 2.7% 85.9% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $3,542 in Santa Clara, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Clara, CA pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $111 in Santa Clara, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $457 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Santa Clara, CA

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

00:10 12:10 AM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

130,365

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Santa Clara, CA 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Santa Clara, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $4,425 in Santa Clara, CA, so Lisbon is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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 $3,542 in Santa Clara, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $2,128 in Santa Clara, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Santa Clara, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $4,425 in Santa Clara, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Santa Clara, 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 Santa Clara, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Santa Clara, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.