Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,447 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,447 in Santa Marta.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Marta $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,693 in Santa Marta.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Marta $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,939 in Santa Marta.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Marta $1,939

Living in Lisbon is roughly 53% more expensive than in Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Santa Marta 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.86 COP 12.5K

-23.06%

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

$2.29 €2.05

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.59 COP 5,139

-27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.17 COP 6,992

-11.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.22 COP 3,924

23.77%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.46 COP 7,942

63.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.39 COP 27.1K

54.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$9.57 COP 30.9K

-18.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$11.26 COP 36.4K

57.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.13 COP 13.3K

-44.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.04 COP 3,359

66.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.11 COP 3,600

67.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.99 COP 6,433

30.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.93 COP 2,990

95.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.54 COP 4,972

27.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.96 COP 3,085

53.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.62 COP 1,989

16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.13 COP 13.3K

59.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$17.52 COP 56.6K

-67.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.45 COP 4,684

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.40 COP 4,533

52.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.96 COP 3,108

142.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.07 COP 9,921

25.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.35 COP 4,352

62.96%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$23.6K COP 76.2M

44.87%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$34.2K COP 110.3M

13.31%

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

$161 €144

$159 COP 512.4K

1.59%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$9.23 COP 29.8K

99.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$21.79 COP 70.3K

50.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$31.36 COP 101.2K

42.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.27 COP 17.0K

82.16%

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

$668 €598

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.9K COP 35.1M

61.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$86.4 COP 279.0K

18.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$62.8 COP 202.7K

-29.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$92.6 COP 299.0K

6.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$86.7 COP 279.8K

42.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$1,096 COP 3.5M

46.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$752 COP 2.4M

58.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,095 COP 3.5M

156.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$620 COP 2.0M

224.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,110 COP 3.6M

606.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,191 COP 3.8M

284.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$526 COP 1.7M

199.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

19.54

-80.30%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Marta

–

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Marta

–

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Marta

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Marta

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Marta

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Marta

–

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Marta

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,096 in Santa Marta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

500,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Santa Marta 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Santa Marta

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 Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,447 in Santa Marta, so Santa Marta is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3 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 $1,096 in Santa Marta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. 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 $1,447 in Santa Marta – Santa Marta is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Santa Marta is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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