Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santander

For one person, living is cheaper in Santander: $1,640 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Santander
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Santander Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Santander

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santander

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,640 in Santander.

Lisbon $2,206
Santander $1,640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,578 in Santander.

Lisbon $3,276
Santander $2,578

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,517 in Santander.

Lisbon $4,346
Santander $3,517

Living in Lisbon is roughly 35% more expensive than in Santander, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Santander 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$16.55 €14.74

1.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$55.1 €49.09

10.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$11.30 €10.07

-2.83%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$2.43 €2.16

25.51%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.55 €2.27

-10.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.76 €1.57

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$3.89 €3.46

0.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.28 €1.14

-10.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.84 €2.53

-33.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$2.48 €2.21

-39.52%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$3.71 €3.31

11.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$22.36 €19.91

-41.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$8.02 €7.15

0.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$13.45 €11.98

33.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.53 €2.26

-10.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.28 €2.04

-23.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.98 €2.65

-38.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.68 €3.28

-26.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.83 €1.63

-3.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.55 €2.27

-23.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.51 €1.35

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.83 €0.74

-8.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$7.97 €7.10

-16.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.58 €4.97

1.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.22 €1.09

5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.36 €2.10

-9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.54 €1.37

49.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

$18.24 €16.25

141.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$5.68 €5.06

-29.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$2.17 €1.94

-70.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

$38.72 €34.49

-51.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.69 €1.51

34.91%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$36.3K €32.4K

-8.17%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$30.1K €26.8K

27.79%

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

$158 €141

$169 €151

-6.40%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$35.08 €31.25

-50.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$38.19 €34.02

-18.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$46.96 €41.83

-4.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

$20.38 €18.15

-6.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$9.10 €8.10

5.27%

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

$674 €600

$478 €426

40.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$8,894 €7,922

110.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$125 €112

-18.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$68.1 €60.6

-32.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$89.7 €79.9

13.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$111 €99.0

9.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$833 €742

96.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$558 €497

112.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$1,486 €1,324

90.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$1,100 €980

83.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

$3,160 €2,815

147.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

$2,653 €2,363

77.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

$1,879 €1,673

-10.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.5

9.14%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santander: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santander

$558 34% 53% $630

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Santander

$319 19.4% 16.1% $44

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Santander

$238 14.5% 3.1% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Santander

$242 14.8% 17.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Santander

$177 10.8% 5.9% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santander

$65 4% 2.1% $1.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Santander

$41 2.5% 32.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $833 in Santander. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santander pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $55 in Santander. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $319, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Santander

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

22:15 10:15 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

172,726

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Santander 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Santander: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,640 in Santander, so Santander is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $833 in Santander. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $478 in Santander. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,640 in Santander versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santander but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santander 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 Santander are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.