Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Francisco: $1,668 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,668 in San Francisco versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

San Francisco $1,668
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,674 in San Francisco versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

San Francisco $2,674
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,680 in San Francisco versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

San Francisco $3,680
Lisbon $4,341

Living in San Francisco costs roughly 25% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Francisco 23% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.03 ₡4,512

$16.65 €14.93

-39.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 ₡27.8K

$61.7 €55.4

-0.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 ₡5,011

$11.36 €10.19

-2.02%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,053

$2.97 €2.66

53.54%

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

$1.29 ₡582

$2.29 €2.05

-43.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₡772

$1.74 €1.56

-1.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,516

$3.40 €3.05

-0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,015

$3.31 €2.97

35.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$1.16 €1.04

109.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,364

$1.91 €1.71

58.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,076

$1.51 €1.36

58.28%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,549

$4.02 €3.61

-14.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₡4,897

$12.94 €11.61

-15.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₡4,678

$7.77 €6.97

33.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 ₡6,220

$17.76 €15.93

-22.18%

Apples (1kg)

$5.21 ₡2,347

$2.30 €2.07

126.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡743

$1.73 €1.55

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,155

$1.86 €1.67

157.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,739

$2.59 €2.32

49.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,765

$1.82 €1.63

115.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.74 ₡1,685

$1.97 €1.77

89.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡490

$1.47 €1.32

-25.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,397

$0.72 €0.65

330.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.82 ₡2,618

$6.58 €5.91

-11.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.69 ₡8,859

$5.61 €5.03

250.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,282

$1.36 €1.22

109.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,596

$2.14 €1.92

65.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡619

$2.33 €2.09

-41.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 ₡29.7K

$44.68 €40.08

47.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ₡784

$3.85 €3.45

-54.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡728

$1.07 €0.96

51.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.88 ₡3,997

$16.46 €14.77

-46.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₡687

$2.20 €1.97

-30.45%

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

$34.0K ₡15.3M

$34.2K €30.7K

-0.54%

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

$42.8K ₡19.3M

$38.7K €34.7K

10.63%

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

$76.4 ₡34.4K

$161 €145

-52.64%

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

$32.60 ₡14.7K

$18.41 €16.51

77.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.89 ₡22.0K

$32.74 €29.37

49.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 ₡31.0K

$44.55 €39.96

54.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.13

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 ₡3,385

$9.60 €8.61

-21.67%

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

$989 ₡445.0K

$668 €599

48.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$17.6K €15.8K

-3.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ₡31.7K

$102 €91.5

-31.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 ₡25.6K

$44.46 €39.89

28.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 ₡29.5K

$98.5 €88.4

-33.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₡24.6K

$124 €111

-55.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 ₡359.4K

$1,608 €1,443

-50.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₡282.6K

$1,190 €1,067

-47.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,905 ₡857.1K

$2,812 €2,523

-32.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡579.2K

$2,013 €1,806

-36.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,032

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,104

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$895 ₡402.9K

$1,575 €1,413

-43.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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

Last update for San Francisco: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Francisco

$628 37.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 89.5% $562

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco

$400 24%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 31.9% $128

Eating Out

San Francisco

$206 12.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 17.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco

$158 9.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 34.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco

$111 6.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 48.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco

$84 5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 24% $20

Getting Around

San Francisco

$81 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 22.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $799 in San Francisco and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Francisco vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

6 h ahead of San Francisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,923

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Francisco Lisbon 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Francisco and Lisbon differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,668 vs $2,210 including rent). San Francisco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in San Francisco. 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: $799 in San Francisco versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 32% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,668 per month in San Francisco versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,668 in San Francisco versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Francisco but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes San Francisco 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 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.

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