Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Monica, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,815 in Santa Monica, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
183

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

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santa Monica, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santa Monica, 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 Monica, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,815 in Santa Monica, CA.

Lisbon $2,210
Santa Monica, CA $3,815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $5,847 in Santa Monica, CA.

Lisbon $3,275
Santa Monica, CA $5,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $7,879 in Santa Monica, CA.

Lisbon $4,341
Santa Monica, CA $7,879

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 42% less than in Santa Monica, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Santa Monica, CA 180% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$26.80 $26.80

-37.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$121 $121

-48.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$15.08 $15.08

-24.67%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$5.77 $5.77

-48.53%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.32 $3.32

-31.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.35 $2.35

-25.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$7.94 $7.94

-57.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$9.95 $9.95

-66.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.35 $1.35

-14.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$4.63 $4.63

-58.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$4.52 $4.52

-66.59%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$5.46 $5.46

-26.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$15.99 $15.99

-19.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$14.11 $14.11

-44.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$19.54 $19.54

-9.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.86 $4.86

-52.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.24 $2.24

-22.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.14 $4.14

-55.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$5.76 $5.76

-55.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$3.38 $3.38

-46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.91 $2.91

-32.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.16 $2.16

-31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$2.57 $2.57

-71.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$11.59 $11.59

-43.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.87 $14.87

-62.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.53 $2.53

-46.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.02 $3.02

-29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.70 $1.70

37.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$54.8 $54.8

-18.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.03 $3.03

27.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.83 $1.83

-41.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$32.50 $32.50

-49.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.48 $1.48

48.65%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$32.6K $32.6K

4.89%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$26.3K $26.3K

47.31%

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

$161 €145

$216 $216

-25.47%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$46.35 $46.35

-60.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$64.5 $64.5

-49.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$67.3 $67.3

-33.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$44.25 $44.25

-56.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$18.86 $18.86

-49.10%

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

$668 €600

$1,741 $1,741

-61.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$32.4K $32.4K

-45.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$87.7 $87.7

16.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$54.1 $54.1

-17.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$106 $106

-7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$118 $118

4.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$3,795 $3,795

-57.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$2,269 $2,269

-47.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$8,658 $8,658

-67.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$4,229 $4,229

-52.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$13.1K $13.1K

-40.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$9,732 $9,732

-52.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$7,010 $7,010

-77.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.62

-41.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santa Monica, CA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santa Monica, CA

$2.3K 59.5% 90.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santa Monica, CA

$464 12.2% 70.3% $192

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santa Monica, CA

$411 10.8% 69.5% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santa Monica, CA

$327 8.6% 54.1% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Monica, CA

$165 4.3% 0.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santa Monica, CA

$105 2.8% 64.8% $41

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santa Monica, CA

$74 1.9% 16.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $3,795 in Santa Monica, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Monica, CA pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $121 in Santa Monica, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $464 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇸 Santa Monica, CA

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

7 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

89,736

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Santa Monica, CA 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Santa Monica, CA

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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 Monica, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $3,815 in Santa Monica, CA, so Lisbon is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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 $3,795 in Santa Monica, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,741 in Santa Monica, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Santa Monica, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,815 in Santa Monica, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Santa Monica, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Santa Monica, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Santa Monica, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.