Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sintra

For one person, living is cheaper in Sintra: $1,593 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sintra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $1,593 in Sintra.

Lisbon $2,206
Sintra $1,593

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $2,321 in Sintra.

Lisbon $3,276
Sintra $2,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,048 in Sintra.

Lisbon $4,346
Sintra $3,048

Living in Lisbon is roughly 38% more expensive than in Sintra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Sintra 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$12.76 €11.38

32.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$55.0 €49.05

11.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

$8.68 €7.75

26.50%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.34 €1.19

127.61%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.55 €1.38

47.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.18 €1.05

42.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.42 €3.05

0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.77 €2.47

41.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.02 €0.91

12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.26 €1.12

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.31 €1.16

14.50%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$2.71 €2.42

52.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$8.72 €7.78

49.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$6.99 €6.24

15.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$10.91 €9.73

63.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.79 €1.60

26.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.27 €1.13

37.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.41 €1.26

29.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.20 €1.96

22.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.31 €1.17

35.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.65 €1.47

17.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.61 €1.43

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.67 €0.60

13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

$6.29 €5.61

5.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.43 €3.06

64.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.31 €1.17

-1.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.38 €1.23

55.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.21 €1.97

4.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

$39.38 €35.12

11.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$3.56 €3.18

11.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.54 €0.49

18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

$16.74 €14.93

13.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.18 €1.94

4.59%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$33.8K €30.2K

-1.37%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

0.05%

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

$158 €141

$125 €112

26.40%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$21.41 €19.10

-18.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$44.38 €39.59

-29.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

$40.60 €36.21

9.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

$17.08 €15.23

11.12%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

$8.69 €7.75

10.24%

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

$674 €601

$621 €554

8.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$6,054 €5,400

209.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$76.6 €68.3

33.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

$44.72 €39.89

2.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$106 €95.0

-4.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$49.85 €44.46

144.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

$974 €869

68.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

$783 €699

51.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

$1,586 €1,415

78.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

$1,195 €1,066

68.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

$3,102 €2,767

152.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

$2,334 €2,082

101.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

$1,320 €1,178

27.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.54

7.91%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sintra: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sintra

$783 49.2% 34% $404

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Sintra

$204 12.8% 25.7% $71

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Sintra

$178 11.2% 27.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Sintra

$191 12% 7.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Sintra

$125 7.8% 25.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sintra

$58 3.6% 9.1% $5.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Sintra

$55 3.4% 9.8% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $974 in Sintra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 28% 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 in Lisbon vs $55 in Sintra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $204 per month, with Sintra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Sintra

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

385,654

💱 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 Sintra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $1,593 in Sintra, so Sintra is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $974 in Sintra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $621 in Sintra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Sintra 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 Sintra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sintra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.