Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Clemente, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,426 in San Clemente, CA, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Clemente, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,426

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,426 in San Clemente, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

San Clemente, CA $3,426
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,328 in San Clemente, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

San Clemente, CA $5,328
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,230 in San Clemente, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

San Clemente, CA $7,230
Lisbon $4,319

Living in San Clemente, CA is roughly 54% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Clemente, CA 154% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.27 $25.27

$16.50 €14.67

53.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 $99.2

$61.3 €54.5

61.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.31 $12.31

$11.27 €10.03

9.23%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$3.06 €2.72

89.54%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$2.26 €2.01

38.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.73 €1.54

50.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.39 €3.02

138.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.56 $9.56

$3.40 €3.02

181.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.12 €1.00

-1.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.86 €1.65

136.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.53 €1.36

209.80%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$3.96 €3.53

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$12.76 €11.35

29.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.88 $13.88

$7.90 €7.02

75.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 $18.72

$16.97 €15.09

10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.27 €2.02

108.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.75 €1.55

9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.85 €1.64

132.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.57 €2.28

88.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.86 €1.65

69.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.02 €1.80

28.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.44 €1.28

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.82 €0.73

152.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.43 $7.43

$6.56 €5.83

13.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.58 $15.58

$5.62 €5.00

177.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.28 €1.14

73.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.07 €1.84

49.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.35 €2.09

19.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.53 $46.53

$44.18 €39.30

5.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.99 €3.55

-23.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.09 €0.97

94.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.53 $27.53

$16.64 €14.81

65.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.28 €2.03

-44.74%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-16.70%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

-33.66%

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

$247 $247

$167 €149

47.32%

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

$74.7 $74.7

$18.80 €16.72

297.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.9 $84.9

$33.09 €29.43

156.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.29 $44.29

$46.01 €40.93

-3.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 $17.63

$19.19 €17.07

-8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$15.24 $15.24

$9.84 €8.75

54.88%

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

$986 $986

$677 €602

45.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K $35.6K

$16.9K €15.1K

110.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 $67.1

$101 €90.1

-33.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.46 $29.46

$45.76 €40.70

-35.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 $88.6

$100.0 €88.9

-11.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$123 €109

16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,340 $2,340

$1,614 €1,436

45.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,197 €1,065

58.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 $4,044

$2,862 €2,545

41.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,813 $3,813

$1,990 €1,770

91.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,394 $6,394

$7,577 €6,740

-15.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,293 $3,293

$4,307 €3,831

-23.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,980 $3,980

$1,588 €1,412

150.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

3.85

60.78%

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

Last update for San Clemente, CA: 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

San Clemente, CA

$1.9K 55.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 36.9% $700

Groceries & Markets

San Clemente, CA

$438 12.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 38.5% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Clemente, CA

$406 11.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 46% $187

Eating Out

San Clemente, CA

$391 11.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 38.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

San Clemente, CA

$148 4.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

San Clemente, CA

$75 2.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 12.1% $9.1

Getting Around

San Clemente, CA

$71 2.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 11.7% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,340 in San Clemente, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Clemente, CA pays 151% 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: $99.0 in San Clemente, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Clemente, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

8 h ahead of San Clemente, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,526

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

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Between locations

San Clemente, CA Lisbon 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Clemente, CA and Lisbon differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($3,426 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 151% higher in San Clemente, 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: $2,340 in San Clemente, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $986 in San Clemente, 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 63% higher in San Clemente, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,426 in San Clemente, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Clemente, 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 Clemente, 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 54% less than in San Clemente, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.