Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Lucia

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucia: $1,276 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Lucia
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Santa Lucia Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Lucia

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,276 in Santa Lucia.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Lucia $1,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,819 in Santa Lucia.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Lucia $1,819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,361 in Santa Lucia.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Lucia $2,361

Living in Lisbon is roughly 73% more expensive than in Santa Lucia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$9.83 CUP 236

69.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$30.34 CUP 728

103.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$6.98 CUP 167

62.75%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.35 CUP 80.5

-11.34%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.11 CUP 26.66

106.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.92 CUP 22.18

89.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.04 CUP 48.84

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.96 CUP 71.1

11.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.92 CUP 46.07

-39.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.87 CUP 44.95

2.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.53 CUP 36.83

-1.31%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.60 CUP 86.4

11.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$6.21 CUP 149

108.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$5.91 CUP 142

31.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$11.15 CUP 268

59.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.75 CUP 65.9

-16.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.57 CUP 37.59

10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.06 CUP 49.49

-9.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.19 CUP 52.6

18.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.95 CUP 46.77

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.79 CUP 42.87

10.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.02 CUP 24.46

44.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.03 CUP 24.62

-30.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.97 CUP 95.3

65.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$12.12 CUP 291

-53.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.63 CUP 39.10

-16.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.36 CUP 56.7

-9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.21 CUP 5.00

1009.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$24.63 CUP 591

81.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.27 CUP 78.5

17.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.38 CUP 9.18

181.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$15.19 CUP 365

8.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.02 CUP 24.46

115.69%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$69.8K CUP 1.7M

-51.05%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$80.4K CUP 1.9M

-51.85%

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

$161 €144

$34.72 CUP 833

364.34%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$14.96 CUP 359

23.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$251 CUP 6,021

-86.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$40.36 CUP 969

10.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$14.78 CUP 355

29.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$1.02 CUP 24.50

841.18%

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

$668 €598

$164 CUP 3,939

306.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,059 CUP 97.4K

333.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$70.5 CUP 1,691

44.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$55.0 CUP 1,321

-19.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$101 CUP 2,416

-2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$106 CUP 2,546

16.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$548 CUP 13.1K

193.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$344 CUP 8,245

246.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$755 CUP 18.1K

272.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$502 CUP 12.0K

301.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$334 CUP 8,024

2244.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$368 CUP 8,836

1142.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$55.8 CUP 1,338

2724.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.94

-22.06%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santa Lucia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Lucia

$344 26.9% 71.1% $847

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Lucia

$245 19.2% 9.9% $27

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Lucia

$164 12.9% 32.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Lucia

$301 23.6% 41.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Lucia

$150 11.7% 9.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Lucia

$42 3.3% 33.5% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Lucia

$31 2.4% 51.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $548 in Santa Lucia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 28 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $30 in Santa Lucia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $245 per month, with Santa Lucia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇺 Santa Lucia

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

00:39 12:39 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Santa Lucia 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Santa Lucia

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 Lucia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,276 in Santa Lucia, so Santa Lucia is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 28 times higher, 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 $548 in Santa Lucia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $164 in Santa Lucia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,276 in Santa Lucia versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Lucia but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Lucia 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 Lucia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.