Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $4,342 in San Francisco, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Francisco, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,342

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,342 in San Francisco, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

San Francisco, CA $4,342
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,433 in San Francisco, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

San Francisco, CA $6,433
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,523 in San Francisco, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

San Francisco, CA $8,523
Lisbon $4,319

Living in San Francisco, CA is roughly 95% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Francisco, CA 222% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.11 $27.11

$16.50 €14.67

64.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$61.3 €54.5

96.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.06 $15.06

$11.27 €10.03

33.63%

Cappuccino

$6.06 $6.06

$3.06 €2.72

98.04%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$2.26 €2.01

42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.73 €1.54

58.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.39 €3.02

130.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.25 $9.25

$3.40 €3.02

172.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.12 €1.00

53.57%

White Bread (500g)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.86 €1.65

189.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.53 €1.36

211.11%

Eggs

$4.87 $4.87

$3.96 €3.53

22.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.10 $16.10

$12.76 €11.35

26.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.32 $15.32

$7.90 €7.02

93.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.69 $22.69

$16.97 €15.09

33.71%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$2.27 €2.02

173.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.75 €1.55

61.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.85 €1.64

133.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$2.57 €2.28

159.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.86 €1.65

55.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.02 €1.80

84.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.44 €1.28

95.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.82 €0.73

215.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.79 $11.79

$6.56 €5.83

79.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.62 $14.62

$5.62 €5.00

160.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.28 €1.14

142.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.07 €1.84

71.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.35 €2.09

23.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 $95.8

$44.18 €39.30

116.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.99 €3.55

5.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.09 €0.97

82.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.06 $39.06

$16.64 €14.81

134.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.28 €2.03

-33.77%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

11.79%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.28%

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

$214 $214

$167 €149

27.91%

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

$62.2 $62.2

$18.80 €16.72

230.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$33.09 €29.43

131.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 $122

$46.01 €40.93

165.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.47 $21.47

$19.19 €17.07

11.88%

Cinema Ticket

$17.99 $17.99

$9.84 €8.75

82.83%

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

$2,943 $2,943

$677 €602

334.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.7K $42.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

152.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 $76.5

$101 €90.1

-24.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.33 $47.33

$45.76 €40.70

3.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$100.0 €88.9

1.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$123 €109

13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,749 $3,749

$1,614 €1,436

132.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,617 $2,617

$1,197 €1,065

118.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,734 $5,734

$2,862 €2,545

100.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,530 $4,530

$1,990 €1,770

127.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,861 $9,861

$7,577 €6,740

30.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,520 $7,520

$4,307 €3,831

74.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,548 $6,548

$1,588 €1,412

312.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

3.85

75.58%

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

Last update for San Francisco, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Francisco, CA

$2.6K 60.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 54.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco, CA

$512 11.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 47.3% $242

Eating Out

San Francisco, CA

$416 9.6%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 41.8% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco, CA

$353 8.1%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 37.9% $134

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco, CA

$164 3.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.3% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco, CA

$158 3.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 58.5% $93

Getting Around

San Francisco, CA

$122 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 48.2% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,749 in San Francisco, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Francisco, CA pays 312% 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: $120 in San Francisco, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $512 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

16:52 4:52 PM

8 h ahead of San Francisco, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

873,965

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 Francisco, CA Lisbon 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Francisco, CA and Lisbon differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($4,342 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 312% higher in San Francisco, 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: $3,749 in San Francisco, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,943 in San Francisco, 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 90% higher in San Francisco, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $4,342 in San Francisco, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Francisco, 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 Francisco, 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 95% less than in San Francisco, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.