Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Bernardino, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardino, CA
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San Bernardino, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Bernardino, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,856

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

San Bernardino, CA $2,856
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,354 in San Bernardino, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

San Bernardino, CA $4,354
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,853 in San Bernardino, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

San Bernardino, CA $5,853
Lisbon $4,319

Living in San Bernardino, CA is roughly 28% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Bernardino, CA 112% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 $20.02

$16.50 €14.67

21.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$61.3 €54.5

24.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.54 $16.54

$11.27 €10.03

46.76%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$3.06 €2.72

91.83%

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

$3.54 $3.54

$2.26 €2.01

56.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.73 €1.54

35.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.30 $7.30

$3.39 €3.02

115.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.38 $9.38

$3.40 €3.02

175.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.12 €1.00

-2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.86 €1.65

111.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.53 €1.36

206.54%

Eggs

$4.70 $4.70

$3.96 €3.53

18.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$12.76 €11.35

1.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$7.90 €7.02

9.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 $15.33

$16.97 €15.09

-9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.27 €2.02

105.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.75 €1.55

2.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.85 €1.64

118.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.57 €2.28

120.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.86 €1.65

94.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.02 €1.80

9.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.44 €1.28

38.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.82 €0.73

126.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$6.56 €5.83

78.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$5.62 €5.00

162.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.28 €1.14

65.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.07 €1.84

108.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.35 €2.09

-12.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 $59.5

$44.18 €39.30

34.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.83 $9.83

$3.99 €3.55

146.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.28 €2.03

-35.53%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

8.34%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$39.3K €35.0K

-34.61%

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

$216 $216

$167 €149

28.76%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$18.80 €16.72

254.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$33.09 €29.43

121.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.64 $39.64

$46.01 €40.93

-13.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$15.33 $15.33

$9.84 €8.75

55.79%

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

$1,143 $1,143

$677 €602

68.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K $17.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

3.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$101 €90.1

-37.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 $47.37

$45.76 €40.70

3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$100.0 €88.9

5.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$123 €109

18.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 $1,775

$1,614 €1,436

9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 $1,442

$1,197 €1,065

20.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 $2,508

$2,862 €2,545

-12.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,783 $2,783

$1,990 €1,770

39.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,608 $3,608

$7,577 €6,740

-52.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,635 $3,635

$4,307 €3,831

-15.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,468 $3,468

$1,588 €1,412

118.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.85

65.97%

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

Last update for San Bernardino, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Bernardino, CA

$1.4K 50.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 17% $245

Groceries & Markets

San Bernardino, CA

$389 13.6%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 30.8% $120

Eating Out

San Bernardino, CA

$359 12.6%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 32.6% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Bernardino, CA

$356 12.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 38.3% $136

Clothing & Footwear

San Bernardino, CA

$162 5.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.5% $4

Getting Around

San Bernardino, CA

$78 * 2.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 18.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

San Bernardino, CA

$70 2.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 6.5% $4.6

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 $1,775 in San Bernardino, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Bernardino, CA pays 118% 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: $76.0 in San Bernardino, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Bernardino, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

8 h ahead of San Bernardino, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Bernardino, CA Lisbon 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

San Bernardino, CA
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

San Bernardino, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Bernardino, CA and Lisbon differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,856 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 118% higher in San Bernardino, CA, 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: $1,775 in San Bernardino, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,143 in San Bernardino, CA 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 44% higher in San Bernardino, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,856 in San Bernardino, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Bernardino, CA. 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, San Bernardino, CA 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 28% less than in San Bernardino, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.