Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santiago, Panama

Name: Santiago
Address: Santiago, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,441 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
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Santiago Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇵🇦 Panama

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santiago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,441 in Santiago.

Lisbon $2,206
Santiago $1,441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,120 in Santiago.

Lisbon $3,276
Santiago $2,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,800 in Santiago.

Lisbon $4,346
Santiago $2,800

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$4.38 PAB 4.38

284.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$29.66 PAB 29.66

105.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$4.87 PAB 4.87

125.46%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$3.99 PAB 3.99

-23.56%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.67 PAB 0.67

240.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$0.77 PAB 0.77

118.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$1.03 PAB 1.03

233.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$1.96 PAB 1.96

99.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.93 PAB 1.93

-40.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.53 PAB 2.53

-25.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$3.42 PAB 3.42

-56.14%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.79 PAB 2.79

47.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$12.13 PAB 12.13

7.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$6.87 PAB 6.87

17.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$10.69 PAB 10.69

67.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$4.17 PAB 4.17

-45.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.91 PAB 1.91

-8.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-54.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$4.12 PAB 4.12

-34.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$3.31 PAB 3.31

-46.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$4.24 PAB 4.24

-54.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.33 PAB 2.33

-37.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.71 PAB 1.71

-55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$6.10 PAB 6.10

9.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$11.70 PAB 11.70

-51.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.37 PAB 1.37

-5.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.71 PAB 2.71

-21.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$2.49 PAB 2.49

59.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.76 PAB 1.76

-63.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$22.17 PAB 22.17

-14.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.25 PAB 1.25

82.40%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$24.1K PAB 24.1K

38.76%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$21.0K PAB 21.0K

83.50%

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

$158 €141

$119 PAB 119

33.44%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$14.72 PAB 14.72

19.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$43.91 PAB 43.91

-28.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$8.58 PAB 8.58

11.66%

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

$674 €598

$535 PAB 535

25.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$9,796 PAB 9,796

91.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$66.8 PAB 66.8

53.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$48.08 PAB 48.08

-4.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$94.6 PAB 94.6

7.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$110 PAB 110

11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$449 PAB 449

265.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$654 PAB 654

81.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$643 PAB 643

339.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$1,110 PAB 1,110

81.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

6.39

-40.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santiago: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santiago

$654 45.4% 44.9% $533

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Santiago

$325 22.6% 18.4% $51

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Santiago

$112 7.8% 54.2% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Santiago

$177 12.3% 14.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Santiago

$144 10% 14.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santiago

$17 * 1.2% 73.1% $47

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Santiago

$11 * 0.8% 81.3% $49

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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $449 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $30 in Santiago. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $325, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇦 Santiago

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

10:46 10:46 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

31,065

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Santiago 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,441 in Santiago, so Santiago is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $2,161 in Santiago to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $449 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $1,441 in Santiago – Santiago is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.