Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,442 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,442 in Santiago de Compostela.

Lisbon $2,206
Santiago de Compostela $1,442

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,218 in Santiago de Compostela.

Lisbon $3,276
Santiago de Compostela $2,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,993 in Santiago de Compostela.

Lisbon $4,346
Santiago de Compostela $2,993

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Santiago de Compostela 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$13.40 €11.93

25.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$65.8 €58.6

-7.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$9.47 €8.44

15.95%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.97 €1.75

54.82%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$2.80 €2.49

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.13 €1.90

-21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.00 €2.67

14.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$4.01 €3.57

-2.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.16 €1.03

-0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.11 €0.99

70.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.34 €1.20

11.94%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.75 €2.45

49.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$9.06 €8.07

43.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$6.63 €5.90

21.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$16.46 €14.66

8.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.10 €1.87

8.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.04 €1.82

-14.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.41 €1.26

29.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.83 €2.52

-4.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.99 €1.77

-11.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.42 €1.27

36.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.11 €0.99

31.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.78 €0.70

-2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$5.73 €5.10

16.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.06 €4.51

11.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.40 €1.24

-7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.38 €2.12

-10.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.20 €1.07

91.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

$33.06 €29.43

33.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$5.01 €4.46

-20.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.32 €1.18

-51.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$18.54 €16.51

2.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.74 €1.55

31.03%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$34.7K €30.9K

-3.73%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$29.4K €26.2K

31.01%

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

$158 €141

$155 €138

1.91%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$21.27 €18.94

-17.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$33.40 €29.74

-6.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$51.2 €45.60

-12.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$2.19 €1.95

766.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$10.01 €8.91

-4.30%

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

$674 €600

$335 €299

100.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$8,409 €7,487

122.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$88.8 €79.0

15.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$63.4 €56.5

-27.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$100 €89.1

2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$92.7 €82.6

31.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$737 €656

122.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$519 €462

128.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$1,076 €958

162.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$876 €780

130.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

$3,110 €2,769

151.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

$2,141 €1,906

119.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

$1,903 €1,695

-11.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

2.96

29.05%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santiago de Compostela

$519 36% 56.3% $669

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Santiago de Compostela

$236 16.4% 14.1% $39

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Santiago de Compostela

$202 14% 17.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6% 1.4% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Santiago de Compostela

$155 10.8% 7.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9% 11.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4% 18.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $737 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 13% 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 $66 in Santiago de Compostela. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $236, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

98,687

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,442 in Santiago de Compostela, so Santiago de Compostela is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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 $737 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $335 in Santiago de Compostela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,442 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.