Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in San José versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

San José $913
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in San José versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

San José $1,449
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,985 in San José versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

San José $1,985
Lisbon $4,346

Living in San José costs roughly 59% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: San José is 33% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.95 UYU 520

$17.04 €15.15

-24.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 UYU 1,761

$62.3 €55.4

-29.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 UYU 555

$11.02 €9.80

25.41%

Cappuccino

$4.88 UYU 196

$3.12 €2.78

56.41%

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

$2.38 UYU 95.6

$2.27 €2.02

4.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 UYU 87.9

$1.74 €1.55

25.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 UYU 117

$3.42 €3.04

-14.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 UYU 140

$3.74 €3.33

-6.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 UYU 39.77

$1.17 €1.04

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$1.86 €1.66

8.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 UYU 59.0

$1.54 €1.37

-4.55%

Eggs

$2.62 UYU 105

$4.06 €3.61

-35.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 UYU 482

$12.91 €11.49

-6.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 UYU 291

$7.90 €7.03

-8.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 484

$17.64 €15.69

-31.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 48.77

$2.26 €2.01

-46.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.8

$1.75 €1.55

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.71

$1.89 €1.68

-35.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.7

$2.56 €2.27

-39.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 UYU 39.49

$1.85 €1.64

-47.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 UYU 51.5

$1.97 €1.75

-35.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 UYU 59.7

$1.45 €1.29

2.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.9

$0.77 €0.69

158.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 UYU 394

$6.71 €5.97

46.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 UYU 328

$5.67 €5.04

44.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 UYU 123

$1.37 €1.22

122.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 UYU 135

$2.11 €1.88

58.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 UYU 141

$3.95 €3.51

-11.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 UYU 139

$1.05 €0.93

228.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 UYU 399

$17.15 €15.26

-41.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$2.19 €1.95

-1.83%

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

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

$33.8K €30.0K

7.78%

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

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

$38.3K €34.0K

4.67%

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

$113 UYU 4,547

$164 €146

-30.83%

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

$23.78 UYU 955

$18.48 €16.43

28.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 UYU 1,891

$32.96 €29.32

42.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 496

$9.75 €8.67

26.67%

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

$494 UYU 19.8K

$684 €608

-27.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

$17.6K €15.7K

-62.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 UYU 3,542

$104 €92.3

-14.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 UYU 1,508

$46.20 €41.09

-18.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 UYU 6,601

$99.7 €88.7

64.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,699

$125 €111

-6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

29.87%

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

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San José

$256 28.1%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 6.5% $17

Eating Out

San José

$243 26.7%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 1.7% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$184 20.2%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 16.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$183 20.1%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 8.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 165% $41

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 203% $42

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $44.00 in San José vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $273 per month, with San José cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

14:34 2:34 PM

4 h ahead of San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San José Lisbon 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San José and Lisbon differ by about 141% in total monthly costs ($913 vs $2,202 including rent). San José is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,369 in San José and $3,302 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $913 per month in San José versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $913 in San José versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San José but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes San José 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 José 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 San José gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.