Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Louis, MO and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,428 in Saint Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Saint Louis, MO despite lower rent and utilities.

117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Louis, MO
Learn more

Saint Louis, MO Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,428

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint Louis, MO 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 Saint Louis, MO and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,428 in Saint Louis, MO versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Saint Louis, MO $2,428
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,685 in Saint Louis, MO versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Saint Louis, MO $3,685
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,942 in Saint Louis, MO versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Saint Louis, MO $4,942
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Saint Louis, MO is roughly 9% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Louis, MO 80% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 $18.12

$16.50 €14.67

9.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 $78.6

$61.3 €54.5

28.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$11.27 €10.03

8.34%

Cappuccino

$5.16 $5.16

$3.06 €2.72

68.63%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$2.26 €2.01

1.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.73 €1.54

1.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 $5.71

$3.39 €3.02

68.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.40 €3.02

104.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.12 €1.00

15.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.86 €1.65

110.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.53 €1.36

284.31%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$3.96 €3.53

-0.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.76 €11.35

2.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.42 $15.42

$7.90 €7.02

95.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.08 $20.08

$16.97 €15.09

18.33%

Apples (1kg)

$8.16 $8.16

$2.27 €2.02

259.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.75 €1.55

36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$1.85 €1.64

210.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.57 €2.28

108.17%

Potato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.86 €1.65

126.34%

Onion (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.02 €1.80

149.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.44 €1.28

93.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.82 €0.73

257.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 $7.85

$6.56 €5.83

19.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$5.62 €5.00

171.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.28 €1.14

130.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.07 €1.84

56.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.35 €2.09

5.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.9 $78.9

$44.18 €39.30

78.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.99 €3.55

-13.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.09 €0.97

39.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.69 $40.69

$16.64 €14.81

144.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.28 €2.03

-55.70%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

5.01%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-37.43%

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

$240 $240

$167 €149

43.20%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$18.80 €16.72

272.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.0 $77.0

$33.09 €29.43

132.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.14 $32.14

$46.01 €40.93

-30.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 $19.82

$19.19 €17.07

3.28%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 $13.95

$9.84 €8.75

41.77%

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

$1,378 $1,378

$677 €602

103.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$16.9K €15.1K

39.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 $60.1

$101 €90.1

-40.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 $39.85

$45.76 €40.70

-12.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 $89.2

$100.0 €88.9

-10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$123 €109

-3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 $1,495

$1,614 €1,436

-7.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 $948

$1,197 €1,065

-20.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 $2,069

$2,862 €2,545

-27.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 $1,696

$1,990 €1,770

-14.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,393 $1,393

$7,577 €6,740

-81.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,872 $1,872

$4,307 €3,831

-56.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,203 $4,203

$1,588 €1,412

164.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

3.85

74.55%

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

Last update for Saint Louis, MO: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Louis, MO

$948 39%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 26.3% $250

Groceries & Markets

Saint Louis, MO

$494 20.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 45.4% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Louis, MO

$387 15.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 43.3% $168

Eating Out

Saint Louis, MO

$302 12.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 19.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Louis, MO

$138 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 20.3% $28

Getting Around

Saint Louis, MO

$100 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 36.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Louis, MO

$60 2.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 9.4% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,495 in Saint Louis, MO and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Louis, MO pays 165% 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: $79.0 in Saint Louis, MO vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $494 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Louis, MO

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

16:33 4:33 PM

6 h ahead of Saint Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint Louis, MO Lisbon 6,780 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Louis, MO
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

Saint Louis, MO vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Louis, MO and Lisbon differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,428 vs $2,223 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 165% higher in Saint Louis, MO, 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: $1,495 in Saint Louis, MO versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,378 in Saint Louis, MO 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 83% higher in Saint Louis, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,428 in Saint Louis, MO, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Saint Louis, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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, Saint Louis, MO 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Saint Louis, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.