Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Tecla: $1,355 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla.

Lisbon $2,223
Santa Tecla $1,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,006 in Santa Tecla.

Lisbon $3,271
Santa Tecla $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,657 in Santa Tecla.

Lisbon $4,319
Santa Tecla $2,657

Living in Lisbon is roughly 64% more expensive than in Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Santa Tecla 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$6.56 $6.56

151.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$44.20 $44.20

38.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$6.82 $6.82

65.25%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.50 $3.50

-12.57%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.15 $1.15

96.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.86 $0.86

101.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.98 $1.98

71.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.63 $3.63

-6.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.75 $1.75

-36.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.14 $2.14

-13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.43 $1.43

6.99%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.30 $2.30

72.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.52 $7.52

69.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$5.55 $5.55

42.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.23 $10.23

65.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.27 $3.27

-30.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.37 $1.37

27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.64 $2.64

-29.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.54 $3.54

-27.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.98 $2.98

-37.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.35 $3.35

-39.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.96 $0.96

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.98 $0.98

-16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.94 $3.94

66.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.06 $12.06

-53.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.20 $2.20

-41.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.95 $2.95

-29.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$6.16 $6.16

-35.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.06 $3.06

-64.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$20.27 $20.27

-17.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.24 $1.24

83.87%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$25.4K $25.4K

32.40%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$27.0K $27.0K

45.64%

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

$167 €149

$132 $132

27.03%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$20.92 $20.92

-10.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$42.31 $42.31

-21.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$24.72 $24.72

86.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.03 $5.03

95.63%

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

$677 €602

$160 $160

322.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$4,809 $4,809

251.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$67.0 $67.0

51.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$46.85 $46.85

-2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$116 $116

-13.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$115 $115

6.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$765 $765

111.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$548 $548

118.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,200 $1,200

138.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$887 $887

124.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$406 $406

291.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.5

-54.71%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4% 54.2% $649

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2% 3.5% $9.4

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4% 42.1% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4% 11.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5% 6.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6% 47.1% $31

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 65.9% $42

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $765 in Santa Tecla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 291% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $44.00 in Santa Tecla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $260 per month, with Santa Tecla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

03:29 3:29 AM

7 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

138,695

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Santa Tecla 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Lisbon vs Santa Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Santa Tecla differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,355 including rent). Santa Tecla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 291% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $765 in Santa Tecla. 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 $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,355 in Santa Tecla versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santa Tecla but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Tecla 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 Tecla are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Tecla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.