Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan and in Lisbon: $2,253 and $2,223 a month, rent and utilities included.

108

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,253

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,253 in San Juan versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

San Juan $2,253
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,373 in San Juan versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

San Juan $3,373
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,494 in San Juan versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

San Juan $4,494
Lisbon $4,319

Living in San Juan is roughly 1% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan 67% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.43 $19.43

$16.50 €14.67

17.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 $82.3

$61.3 €54.5

34.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 $9.43

$11.27 €10.02

-16.33%

Cappuccino

$3.56 $3.56

$3.06 €2.72

16.34%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$2.26 €2.01

-19.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.73 €1.54

-16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.39 €3.02

-10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.40 €3.02

50.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.12 €1.00

95.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.86 €1.65

98.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.53 €1.36

54.25%

Eggs

$7.33 $7.33

$3.96 €3.53

85.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$12.76 €11.35

-0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$7.90 €7.02

20.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$16.97 €15.09

-22.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.27 €2.02

125.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.75 €1.55

52.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$1.85 €1.64

170.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.57 €2.28

91.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.86 €1.65

99.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.02 €1.80

93.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.44 €1.28

145.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$0.82 €0.73

96.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$6.56 €5.83

79.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 $15.84

$5.62 €5.00

181.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.28 €1.14

139.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.07 €1.84

98.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 $0.71

$2.35 €2.09

-69.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.97 $29.97

$44.18 €39.29

-32.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.99 €3.55

-36.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.09 €0.97

33.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.26 $42.26

$16.64 €14.80

153.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.28 €2.03

-45.61%

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

$40.3K $40.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

19.77%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$39.3K €34.9K

-29.46%

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

$327 $327

$167 €149

95.30%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$18.80 €16.72

263.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$33.09 €29.43

112.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.46 $41.46

$46.01 €40.92

-9.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.70 $7.70

$19.19 €17.07

-59.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 $10.40

$9.84 €8.75

5.69%

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

$821 $821

$677 €602

21.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$16.9K €15.0K

-26.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$101 €90.0

-44.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 $61.4

$45.76 €40.70

34.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$100.0 €88.9

8.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$123 €109

-5.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 $1,802

$1,614 €1,435

11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 $846

$1,197 €1,065

-29.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,972 $2,972

$2,862 €2,545

3.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,990 €1,770

-25.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,283 $7,283

$7,577 €6,739

-3.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 $3,377

$4,307 €3,831

-21.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,704 $2,704

$1,588 €1,412

70.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.85

70.13%

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

Last update for San Juan: 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 Juan

$846 37.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 41.5% $351

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$466 20.7%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 52.9% $247

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$417 18.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 35.4% $148

Eating Out

San Juan

$265 11.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 8.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 5.5% $3.4

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 47.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,802 in San Juan and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays 70% 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: $82.0 in San Juan vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

10:33 10:33 AM

5 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

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

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Between locations

San Juan Lisbon 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Juan vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan and Lisbon differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($2,253 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 70% higher in San Juan, 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: $1,802 in San Juan versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $821 in San Juan 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 55% higher in San Juan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,253 in San Juan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Juan. 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 Juan 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 1% less than in San Juan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.