Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Cruz de La Palma

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz de La Palma: $1,643 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
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Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 de La Palma actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,423 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,203 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,203

Living in Lisbon is roughly 35% more expensive than in Santa Cruz de La Palma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Santa Cruz de La Palma 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$17.09 €15.32

-2.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$56.2 €50.3

9.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$11.24 €10.07

1.07%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.43 €2.18

22.22%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.50 €2.24

-8.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.81 €1.62

-3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.45 €3.10

-1.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.99 €3.57

-17.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.20 €1.08

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.43 €1.28

33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.62 €1.46

-6.79%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.31 €2.97

21.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.46 €12.06

-3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$8.18 €7.33

-5.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$15.80 €14.16

12.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.59 €2.32

-11.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.09 €1.87

-17.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.09 €1.87

-11.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.61 €2.34

-0.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.80 €1.61

1.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.93 €1.73

2.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.33 €1.19

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.69 €0.62

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$6.21 €5.56

5.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.75 €5.15

-2.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.21 €1.09

12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.09 €1.88

2.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.60 €1.44

45.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$32.40 €29.04

37.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$4.02 €3.60

-4.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.44 €1.29

-25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$22.84 €20.47

-27.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.73 €1.55

27.17%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.8K €30.3K

1.06%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.0K €27.8K

24.80%

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

$161 €144

$143 €128

12.87%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$17.79 €15.94

3.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$29.46 €26.40

11.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$44.18 €39.59

0.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$15.89 €14.24

20.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.99 €8.06

6.79%

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

$668 €598

$469 €420

42.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,421 €7,546

109.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$86.8 €77.8

17.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$36.69 €32.88

21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$91.5 €82.0

7.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$114 €102

8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$900 €807

78.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$684 €613

74.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,365 €1,223

106.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$1,016 €910

98.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,275 €2,935

139.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,247 €2,014

103.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,341 €1,201

17.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.3

16.67%

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 de La Palma: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$684 41.6% 42.5% $506

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$266 16.2% 2.2% $6.1

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$242 14.7% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$190 11.6% 10.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$148 9% 10.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$62 3.8% 2.5% $1.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$50 3.1% 20.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $56 in Santa Cruz de La Palma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $266 per month, with Santa Cruz de La Palma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🕒 Local time

02:30 2:30 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

15,441

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Santa Cruz de La Palma 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 de La Palma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, so Santa Cruz de La Palma is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Cruz de La Palma runs roughly 27% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma – Santa Cruz de La Palma is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz de La Palma but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz de La Palma 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 Cruz de La Palma are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Cruz de La Palma wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.