Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Cruz, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,686 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/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: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,686 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Cruz $1,686

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,662 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Cruz $2,662

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,637 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Cruz $3,637

Living in Lisbon is roughly 31% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Santa Cruz 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.17 ₡5,495

36.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$62.3 ₡28.1K

-0.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$10.82 ₡4,884

4.99%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.43 ₡2,000

-32.96%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.32 ₡1,049

-1.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.93 ₡871

-9.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.36 ₡1,515

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.49 ₡2,027

-26.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.43 ₡1,098

-52.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.08 ₡1,391

-37.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.40 ₡1,083

-37.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.49 ₡1,574

15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.74 ₡4,849

20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.59 ₡4,779

-26.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$13.96 ₡6,300

27.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.10 ₡2,302

-54.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.13 ₡510

53.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.68 ₡2,115

-60.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.85 ₡1,738

-32.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.75 ₡1,694

-51.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.60 ₡1,627

-45.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.09 ₡491

34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$3.21 ₡1,449

-77.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.86 ₡2,647

12.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$19.73 ₡8,908

-71.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.90 ₡1,311

-53.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.62 ₡1,636

-40.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.29 ₡581

80.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$2.49 ₡1,125

54.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.62 ₡729

-33.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$8.93 ₡4,033

84.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.52 ₡685

44.74%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-0.49%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$42.2K ₡19.1M

-8.24%

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

$161 €144

$96.5 ₡43.6K

67.07%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$35.12 ₡15.9K

-47.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$60.0 ₡27.1K

-45.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-33.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.54 ₡2,950

46.79%

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

$668 €598

$966 ₡436.1K

-30.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.3K ₡7.8M

2.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$71.8 ₡32.4K

42.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-19.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$131 ₡59.1K

-24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$133 ₡60.2K

-7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$785 ₡354.6K

104.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$599 ₡270.4K

98.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,081 ₡939.5K

35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,165 ₡526.1K

72.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.62

-55.34%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Cruz

$599 35.5% 49.7% $591

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Cruz

$399 23.6% 46.3% $126

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Cruz

$226 13.4% 6.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Cruz

$192 11.4% 9.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Cruz

$176 10.4% 6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Cruz

$80 4.7% 25.2% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Cruz

$16 * 0.9% 75.1% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $785 in Santa Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $62 in Santa Cruz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $399 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

19:05 7:05 PM

6 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,665

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Santa Cruz 8,120 km ≈ 11 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 $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,686 in Santa Cruz, so Santa Cruz is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $2,529 in Santa Cruz to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $785 in Santa Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $966 in Santa Cruz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,686 in Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz is about 24% 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.

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