Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Cruz, Laguna $616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Cruz, Laguna $911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206

Living in Lisbon is roughly 259% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Santa Cruz, Laguna is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$1.55 ₱98.8

974.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$7.73 ₱494

698.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$2.79 ₱178

307.17%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.76 ₱113

68.75%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.37 ₱23.90

518.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.24 ₱15.42

625.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.01 ₱64.7

236.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$0.90 ₱57.2

267.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.54 ₱98.4

-24.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.15 ₱73.3

66.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.91 ₱57.9

65.93%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.52 ₱97.0

164.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$4.82 ₱308

168.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$3.29 ₱210

136.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$7.20 ₱460

146.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.37 ₱87.7

67.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$0.49 ₱31.52

253.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.43 ₱91.7

30.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.06 ₱67.7

144.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.67 ₱107

8.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.68 ₱107

17.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.61 ₱39.25

140.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.52 ₱33.12

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$2.93 ₱187

124.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.49 ₱543

-33.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.96 ₱61.4

41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.06 ₱131

3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.21 ₱13.11

1009.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$11.50 ₱735

288.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.76 ₱48.74

406.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.22 ₱14.00

386.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$1.93 ₱124

752.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.20 ₱76.5

83.33%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

65.16%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

104.58%

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

$161 €145

$82.8 ₱5,290

94.73%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$17.51 ₱1,118

5.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$22.58 ₱1,443

45.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$27.30 ₱1,744

63.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$4.47 ₱285

327.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$5.03 ₱321

90.85%

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

$668 €600

$128 ₱8,194

420.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.6K ₱677.6K

66.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$28.32 ₱1,809

260.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$19.21 ₱1,227

131.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$69.6 ₱4,447

41.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$53.7 ₱3,431

130.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$219 ₱14.0K

635.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$160 ₱10.2K

643.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$480 ₱30.7K

485.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$298 ₱19.1K

574.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,453 ₱156.7K

219.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,079 ₱68.9K

324.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.75

-42.96%

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, Laguna: 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, Laguna

$160 26% 86.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8% 43.9% $119

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3% 78.9% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20% 42.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5% 53.7% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1% 41.4% $26

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 77.6% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $153 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

04:50 4:50 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

123,574

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Lisbon Santa Cruz, Laguna 12,200 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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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 Cruz, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, so Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna 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.

Expats usually find Santa Cruz, Laguna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.