Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santarem

For one person, living is cheaper in Santarem: $1,303 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santarem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,303 in Santarem.

Lisbon $2,210
Santarem $1,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,010 in Santarem.

Lisbon $3,275
Santarem $2,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,717 in Santarem.

Lisbon $4,341
Santarem $2,717

Living in Lisbon is roughly 70% more expensive than in Santarem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Santarem is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$12.18 €10.91

36.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$38.63 €34.60

59.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$8.97 €8.03

26.64%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.77 €1.58

67.80%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.71 €1.53

33.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.11 €0.99

56.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.17 €1.95

56.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.28 €2.94

0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.12 €1.01

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.47 €0.42

306.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.10 €0.98

37.27%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$3.29 €2.94

22.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.84 €9.71

19.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$7.01 €6.28

10.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$13.56 €12.15

30.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.74 €2.46

-16.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.33 €1.19

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.54 €2.27

-26.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.14 €1.92

21.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.43 €1.28

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.58 €1.41

24.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.15 €1.03

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.29 €0.26

148.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.68 €5.09

15.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.71 €5.11

-1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.22 €1.09

11.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.57 €3.20

-40.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.22 €1.99

4.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$56.2 €50.3

-20.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.70 €3.31

4.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.10 €1.88

4.76%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$33.3K €29.8K

2.61%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$38.3K €34.3K

1.07%

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

$161 €144

$127 €114

26.86%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$20.29 €18.17

-9.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$56.5 €50.6

-42.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$37.18 €33.30

19.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.79 €6.08

41.38%

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

$668 €598

$425 €380

57.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$19.0K €17.0K

-7.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$78.8 €70.6

29.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$37.35 €33.45

19.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$107 €96.1

-8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$135 €121

-8.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$653 €585

146.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$419 €376

183.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,027 €919

173.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$808 €723

149.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$2,173 €1,946

260.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,099 €984

316.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,080 €967

45.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.76

-19.12%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santarem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santarem

$419 32.2% 64.8% $771

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santarem

$224 17.2% 17.6% $48

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santarem

$174 13.4% 28.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santarem

$204 15.7% 4% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santarem

$161 12.4% 2.7% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santarem

$51 3.9% 20.4% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santarem

$69 * 5.3% 8.8% $5.5

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $653 in Santarem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 46% 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 $39 in Santarem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $224 per month, with Santarem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Santarem

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

58,671

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Lisbon vs Santarem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,303 in Santarem, so Santarem is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $653 in Santarem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $425 in Santarem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Santarem 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.

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

It comes down to priorities – Santarem wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.