Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sa Pa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sa Pa: $731 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
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Sa Pa Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sa Pa and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sa Pa and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $731 in Sa Pa versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Sa Pa $731
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Sa Pa versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Sa Pa $1,170
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,608 in Sa Pa versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Sa Pa $1,608
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Sa Pa costs roughly 67% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sa Pa is 46% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$16.50 €14.67

-88.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.25 ₫550.1K

$61.3 €54.5

-65.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₫116.4K

$11.27 €10.03

-60.07%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$3.06 €2.72

-44.44%

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

$0.47 ₫12.1K

$2.26 €2.01

-79.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,831

$1.73 €1.54

-82.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.1K

$3.39 €3.02

-71.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫41.0K

$3.40 €3.02

-53.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$1.12 €1.00

23.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.8K

$1.86 €1.65

-46.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$1.53 €1.36

-35.29%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.2K

$3.96 €3.53

-64.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ₫303.8K

$12.76 €11.35

-8.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$7.90 €7.02

-53.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₫260.7K

$16.97 €15.09

-40.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.0K

$2.27 €2.02

20.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$1.75 €1.55

-41.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₫35.1K

$1.85 €1.64

-26.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$2.57 €2.28

-58.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$1.86 €1.65

-45.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$2.02 €1.80

-48.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.8K

$1.44 €1.28

-54.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.82 €0.73

-41.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$6.56 €5.83

-78.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 ₫300.6K

$5.62 €5.00

106.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$1.28 €1.14

-41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₫41.7K

$2.07 €1.84

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,276

$2.35 €2.09

-86.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.51 ₫168.6K

$44.18 €39.30

-85.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$3.99 €3.55

-81.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$1.09 €0.97

-43.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 ₫73.2K

$16.64 €14.81

-82.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₫21.6K

$2.28 €2.03

-63.60%

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

$35.5K ₫920.2M

$33.7K €30.0K

5.55%

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

$32.1K ₫829.7M

$39.3K €35.0K

-18.43%

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

$76.5 ₫2.0M

$167 €149

-54.31%

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

$5.96 ₫154.3K

$18.80 €16.72

-68.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.62 ₫223.1K

$33.09 €29.43

-73.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.19 ₫574.5K

$46.01 €40.93

-51.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫196.5K

$19.19 €17.07

-60.45%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$9.84 €8.75

-68.60%

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

$266 ₫6.9M

$677 €602

-60.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ₫303.6M

$16.9K €15.1K

-30.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.21 ₫1.0M

$101 €90.1

-60.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.33 ₫603.9K

$45.76 €40.70

-49.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$100.0 €88.9

-14.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₫2.0M

$123 €109

-38.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₫9.4M

$1,614 €1,436

-77.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$1,197 €1,065

-79.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$2,862 €2,545

-74.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₫13.8M

$1,990 €1,770

-73.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,076 ₫53.7M

$7,577 €6,740

-72.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,264 ₫32.7M

$4,307 €3,831

-70.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

3.85

136.36%

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

Last update for Sa Pa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sa Pa

$248 33.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 383% $949

Groceries & Markets

Sa Pa

$191 26.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 40.7% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Sa Pa

$101 13.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 64.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sa Pa

$91 12.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 141% $128

Eating Out

Sa Pa

$60 8.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 303% $182

Sport & Entertainment

Sa Pa

$28 3.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 132% $37

Getting Around

Sa Pa

$12 1.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 443% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $365 in Sa Pa and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Sa Pa vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $269 per month, with Sa Pa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

00:24 12:24 AM

6 h behind Sa Pa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,882

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sa Pa Lisbon 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sa Pa
Lisbon

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

Sa Pa vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sa Pa and Lisbon differ by about 204% in total monthly costs ($731 vs $2,223 including rent). Sa Pa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,097 in Sa Pa and $3,335 in Lisbon 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: $365 in Sa Pa versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $266 in Sa Pa versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $731 in Sa Pa versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sa Pa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sa Pa 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, Sa Pa and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sa Pa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 204% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.