Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Petersburg: $1,375 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,375

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,375 in Saint Petersburg versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Saint Petersburg $1,375
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,195 in Saint Petersburg versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Saint Petersburg $2,195
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,014 in Saint Petersburg versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Saint Petersburg $3,014
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Saint Petersburg costs roughly 38% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 ₽1,000

$16.65 €14.91

-25.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.05 ₽3,547

$61.7 €55.3

-28.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ₽560

$11.36 €10.17

-38.82%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ₽263

$2.97 €2.66

9.76%

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

$1.61 ₽129

$2.29 €2.05

-29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽62.6

$1.74 €1.56

-55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 ₽226

$3.40 €3.05

-17.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₽292

$3.31 €2.96

9.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 ₽95.9

$1.16 €1.04

2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₽76.8

$1.91 €1.71

-50.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ₽137

$1.51 €1.35

12.58%

Eggs

$1.67 ₽134

$4.02 €3.60

-58.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 ₽998

$12.94 €11.59

-4.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.64 ₽535

$7.77 €6.96

-14.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 ₽1,035

$17.76 €15.91

-27.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 ₽141

$2.30 €2.06

-23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₽132

$1.73 €1.55

-5.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 ₽145

$1.86 €1.66

-3.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ₽270

$2.59 €2.32

29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ₽66.8

$1.82 €1.63

-54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₽50.6

$1.97 €1.76

-68.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₽107

$1.47 €1.32

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽62.7

$0.72 €0.65

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ₽255

$6.58 €5.90

-51.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.41 ₽758

$5.61 €5.02

67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₽95.5

$1.36 €1.22

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₽159

$2.14 €1.91

-7.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₽88.8

$2.33 €2.09

-52.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 ₽4,518

$44.68 €40.01

25.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 ₽226

$3.85 €3.45

-27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₽48.55

$1.07 €0.96

-43.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.01 ₽726

$16.46 €14.74

-45.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽71.2

$2.20 €1.97

-60.00%

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

$43.0K ₽3.5M

$34.2K €30.6K

25.87%

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

$37.4K ₽3.0M

$38.7K €34.7K

-3.53%

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

$156 ₽12.6K

$161 €144

-3.11%

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

$7.85 ₽632

$18.41 €16.49

-57.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.71 ₽701

$32.74 €29.32

-73.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ₽3,327

$44.55 €39.90

-7.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.82 ₽3,529

$19.10 €17.10

129.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₽609

$9.60 €8.60

-21.15%

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

$663 ₽53.4K

$668 €598

-0.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ₽1.4M

$17.6K €15.8K

1.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 ₽7,935

$102 €91.4

-3.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 ₽4,364

$44.46 €39.82

21.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 ₽11.3K

$98.5 €88.2

42.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₽10.3K

$124 €111

3.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 ₽62.1K

$1,608 €1,440

-52.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ₽37.6K

$1,190 €1,066

-60.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 ₽130.4K

$2,812 €2,519

-42.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 ₽78.4K

$2,013 €1,803

-51.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,632 ₽373.0K

$7,839 €7,021

-40.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₽232.4K

$4,576 €4,098

-36.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,230 ₽99.0K

$1,575 €1,411

-21.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.69

3.85

411.43%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$466 33.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 155% $724

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$234 17%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 16.6% $39

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$190 13.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 27.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$189 13.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$173 12.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 22.9% $40

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$66 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 4.7% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 12.9% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $772 in Saint Petersburg and $1,608 in Lisbon. 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: $44 in Saint Petersburg vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $272 per month, with Saint Petersburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

3 h behind Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to RUB in detail →

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Between locations

Saint Petersburg Lisbon 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saint Petersburg vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,375 in Saint Petersburg and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Saint Petersburg is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Saint Petersburg. 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: $772 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $663 in Saint Petersburg versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Saint Petersburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Saint Petersburg delivers better value at $1,375 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Saint Petersburg hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Saint Petersburg wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.