Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $732 in Santa Maria.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Maria $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,224 in Santa Maria.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Maria $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,715 in Santa Maria.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Maria $1,715

Living in Lisbon is roughly 202% more expensive than in Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Santa Maria is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$5.61 R$30.54

196.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$33.42 R$182

84.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.46 R$35.14

75.85%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.70 R$9.26

74.71%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.03 R$5.60

122.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.62 R$3.35

180.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.51 R$8.20

125.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.26 R$23.16

-22.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.02 R$5.53

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.48 R$8.03

29.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.42 R$7.72

6.34%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.74 R$9.49

131.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.55 R$46.50

51.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$3.71 R$20.17

109.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$7.82 R$42.52

127.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.26 R$12.31

1.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.38 R$7.51

25.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.01 R$10.95

-7.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.37 R$7.48

89.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.13 R$6.15

61.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.28 R$6.98

53.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.87 R$4.73

68.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.82 R$4.46

-12.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.20 R$11.98

199.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.58 R$41.23

-25.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.21 R$6.57

12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.75 R$14.99

-22.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.22 R$6.65

90.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$42.50 R$231

5.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.18 R$6.41

226.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.79 R$4.28

35.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$7.72 R$41.98

113.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.17 R$6.36

88.03%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$22.9K R$124.7K

49.11%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$30.0K R$163.5K

28.87%

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

$161 €144

$51.1 R$278

215.38%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$15.89 R$86.4

15.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$17.02 R$92.6

92.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$22.47 R$122

98.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$11.14 R$60.6

71.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.46 R$29.70

75.82%

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

$668 €598

$147 R$799

354.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,764 R$15.0K

537.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$59.1 R$321

72.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$41.62 R$226

6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$92.8 R$505

6.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$60.1 R$327

105.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$282 R$1,533

470.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$155 R$844

667.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$608 R$3,305

362.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$370 R$2,013

444.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$1,633 R$8,882

380.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$677 R$3,685

575.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$591 R$3,213

166.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-61.50%

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: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Maria

$155 21.2% 87% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Maria

$186 25.4% 31.8% $87

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Maria

$107 14.7% 55.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Maria

$84 11.5% 60.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Maria

$114 15.6% 31.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Maria

$33 4.6% 47.6% $30

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Maria

$53 7.2% 16.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $282 in Santa Maria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.7 times 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 $33 in Santa Maria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $186 per month, with Santa Maria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

21:07 9:07 PM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

271,735

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Santa Maria 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Santa Maria

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 Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $732 in Santa Maria, so Santa Maria is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.7 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 $282 in Santa Maria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $147 in Santa Maria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $732 in Santa Maria versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Maria but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Maria 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 Maria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.