Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Cruz, Aruba

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,886 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santa Cruz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,886 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $2,206
Santa Cruz $1,886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,900 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $3,276
Santa Cruz $2,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,914 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $4,346
Santa Cruz $3,914

Living in Lisbon is roughly 17% more expensive than in Santa Cruz.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Santa Cruz 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

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

$2.28 €2.03

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.20 AWG 3.94

-47.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.64 AWG 4.73

-28.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$4.42 AWG 7.91

-66.06%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$4.78 AWG 8.55

-13.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$8.14 AWG 14.57

59.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$7.69 AWG 13.77

4.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$6.75 AWG 12.08

165.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.52 AWG 8.08

-49.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$4.57 AWG 8.17

-61.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$8.12 AWG 14.54

-77.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$6.87 AWG 12.29

-60.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$6.70 AWG 11.99

-73.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.89 AWG 3.39

2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.00 AWG 5.37

-51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$4.54 AWG 8.13

-83.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$10.34 AWG 18.51

-35.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$19.59 AWG 35.05

-71.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.55 AWG 4.56

-49.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$3.09 AWG 5.54

-30.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.96 AWG 3.50

17.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

$154 AWG 276

-71.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$19.32 AWG 34.57

-79.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$19.75 AWG 35.34

-4.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

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

$33.4K €29.7K

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

$38.5K €34.3K

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

$158 €141

$141 AWG 252

12.54%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$71.3 AWG 128

-75.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$207 AWG 371

-84.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$68.5 AWG 123

-34.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$46.44 AWG 83.1

-59.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$8.39 AWG 15.02

14.18%

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

$674 €600

$141 AWG 252

378.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$78.8 AWG 141

29.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$110 AWG 197

-58.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$140 AWG 251

-27.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$137 AWG 245

-10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$1,268 AWG 2,270

29.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$557 AWG 998

112.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$1,534 AWG 2,746

84.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$1,407 AWG 2,519

43.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

$3,667 AWG 6,564

-54.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Cruz

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Santa Cruz

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Santa Cruz

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Santa Cruz

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Santa Cruz

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Cruz

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Santa Cruz

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,268 in Santa Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

04:51 4:51 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

15,236

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Santa Cruz 6,620 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,886 in Santa Cruz, so Santa Cruz is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,268 in Santa Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 37% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $1,886 in Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Santa Cruz gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Cruz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.