Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Cruz, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,285 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
62

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

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/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 $1,285 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Cruz $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,988 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Cruz $1,988

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,690 in Santa Cruz.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Cruz $2,690

Living in Lisbon is roughly 72% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Santa Cruz is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$7.37 JMD 1,163

125.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

-2.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$6.45 JMD 1,016

76.12%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.34 JMD 842

-44.38%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.16 JMD 182

97.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.75 JMD 119

132.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.26 JMD 357

50.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.08 JMD 485

7.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$4.04 JMD 638

-71.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.58 JMD 406

-25.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.57 JMD 248

-3.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.47 JMD 548

15.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$11.33 JMD 1,787

14.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$6.40 JMD 1,010

21.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$10.41 JMD 1,641

70.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$5.97 JMD 941

-61.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$3.83 JMD 604

-54.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$7.43 JMD 1,171

-74.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.01 JMD 474

-13.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.32 JMD 523

-45.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.64 JMD 416

-25.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$3.01 JMD 475

-51.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.45 JMD 229

-50.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$9.47 JMD 1,494

-30.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$11.53 JMD 1,818

-51.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.89 JMD 456

-52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.01 JMD 632

-46.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.27 JMD 201

203.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.12 JMD 492

-65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$6.12 JMD 966

168.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.39 JMD 220

58.27%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-23.76%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

18.95%

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

$161 €145

$166 JMD 26.2K

-2.97%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$29.57 JMD 4,664

-37.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$51.8 JMD 8,165

-36.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$38.40 JMD 6,055

16.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$13.44 JMD 2,119

-28.57%

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

$668 €600

$359 JMD 56.6K

86.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

117.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$23.66 JMD 3,731

331.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$31.85 JMD 5,022

39.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

25.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$101 JMD 15.9K

22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$311 JMD 49.0K

282.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$499 JMD 78.8K

303.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$408 JMD 64.3K

286.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

9.45

-59.26%

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

$311 24.2% 73.9% $879

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9% 36.4% $99

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Cruz

$168 13% 31% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3% 16.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2% 36.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1% 2.4% $1.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3% 73.3% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $64 in Santa Cruz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $371 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

10:12 10:12 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

8,217

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Santa Cruz 6,930 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

Lisbon and Santa Cruz differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,285 including rent). Santa Cruz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,285 in Santa Cruz – a 72% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Santa Cruz versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz 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.

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