Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Maria, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $2,935 in Santa Maria, CA, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria, CA
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Santa Maria, CA Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Maria, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santa Maria, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,935 in Santa Maria, CA.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Maria, CA $2,935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $4,173 in Santa Maria, CA.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Maria, CA $4,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $5,411 in Santa Maria, CA.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Maria, CA $5,411

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 25% less than in Santa Maria, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Santa Maria, CA 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$12.92 $12.92

28.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$61.1 $61.1

1.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$9.81 $9.81

15.80%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$6.13 $6.13

-51.55%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$3.56 $3.56

-35.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.06 $2.06

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$7.59 $7.59

-55.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$9.56 $9.56

-65.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.10 $1.10

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$4.07 $4.07

-53.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.65 $4.65

-67.53%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.78 $4.78

-15.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.86 $8.86

46.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$7.52 $7.52

3.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$13.22 $13.22

34.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.31 $1.31

75.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.35 $1.35

28.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.53 $2.53

-26.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.24 $3.24

-20.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.89 $1.89

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.08 $1.08

82.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.98 $1.98

-25.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.87 $1.87

-61.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$11.61 $11.61

-43.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$15.22 $15.22

-63.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.92 $1.92

-29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.05 $4.05

-47.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.03 $2.03

14.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$49.65 $49.65

-10.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$6.21 $6.21

-38.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.34 $1.34

64.18%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$29.0K $29.0K

17.90%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$27.1K $27.1K

42.75%

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

$161 €144

$160 $160

0.72%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$68.3 $68.3

-73.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$58.5 $58.5

-44.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$29.28 $29.28

52.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$15.13 $15.13

-36.55%

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

$668 €598

$1,875 $1,875

-64.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$46.97 $46.97

117.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$40.61 $40.61

9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$92.1 $92.1

7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$124 $124

-0.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$2,227 $2,227

-27.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$1,782 $1,782

-33.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$3,494 $3,494

-19.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$2,917 $2,917

-30.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$9,593 $9,593

-18.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$9,427 $9,427

-51.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$4,224 $4,224

-62.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.39

-39.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria, CA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Maria, CA

$1.8K 60.7% 49.7% $592

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Maria, CA

$320 10.9% 17.7% $48

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Maria, CA

$286 9.7% 17.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Maria, CA

$287 9.8% 35.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Maria, CA

$137 4.7% 17.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Maria, CA

$60 2% 6.6% $4.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Maria, CA

$64 * 2.2% 1.2% $0.8

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 $2,227 in Santa Maria, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Maria, CA pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $61 in Santa Maria, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $320, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Santa Maria, CA

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

8 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

107,408

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Santa Maria, CA 9,200 km ≈ 12 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 Maria, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $2,935 in Santa Maria, CA, so Lisbon is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $2,227 in Santa Maria, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Santa Maria, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,935 in Santa Maria, CA – Lisbon is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 – Lisbon wins on affordability, Santa Maria, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.