Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Marcos, TX and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in San Marcos, TX
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San Marcos, TX Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Marcos, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,361

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,361 in San Marcos, TX versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

San Marcos, TX $2,361
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,510 in San Marcos, TX versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

San Marcos, TX $3,510
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,658 in San Marcos, TX versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

San Marcos, TX $4,658
Lisbon $4,319

Living in San Marcos, TX is roughly 6% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Marcos, TX 75% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$16.50 €14.67

-9.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$61.3 €54.5

-1.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.27 €10.03

4.70%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$3.06 €2.72

54.25%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$2.26 €2.01

28.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.73 €1.54

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$3.39 €3.02

51.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.40 €3.02

79.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.12 €1.00

-32.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.86 €1.65

72.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.53 €1.36

144.44%

Eggs

$2.77 $2.77

$3.96 €3.53

-30.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$12.76 €11.35

-21.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$7.90 €7.02

24.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 $12.95

$16.97 €15.09

-23.69%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$2.27 €2.02

173.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.75 €1.55

-35.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$1.85 €1.64

255.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.57 €2.28

87.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.86 €1.65

114.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.02 €1.80

44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.44 €1.28

27.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.82 €0.73

119.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$6.56 €5.83

29.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 $13.93

$5.62 €5.00

147.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.28 €1.14

38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.07 €1.84

90.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.99 €3.55

14.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.09 €0.97

66.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.5 $59.5

$16.64 €14.81

257.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.28 €2.03

-64.47%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$33.7K €30.0K

7.04%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-36.32%

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

$134 $134

$167 €149

-19.98%

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

$40.38 $40.38

$18.80 €16.72

114.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 $55.8

$33.09 €29.43

68.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 $68.9

$46.01 €40.93

49.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 $11.32

$9.84 €8.75

15.04%

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

$665 $665

$677 €602

-1.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

4.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$101 €90.1

-41.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.15 $38.15

$45.76 €40.70

-16.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 $83.0

$100.0 €88.9

-17.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$123 €109

-0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 $1,350

$1,614 €1,436

-16.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$1,197 €1,065

5.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,855 $2,855

$2,862 €2,545

-0.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,990 €1,770

10.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,463 $2,463

$7,577 €6,740

-67.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 $1,874

$4,307 €3,831

-56.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,143 $3,143

$1,588 €1,412

97.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.85

67.53%

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

Last update for San Marcos, TX: 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 Marcos, TX

$1.3K 53.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 4.8% $60

Groceries & Markets

San Marcos, TX

$363 15.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 25.9% $94

Eating Out

San Marcos, TX

$268 11.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 9.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Marcos, TX

$230 9.8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 4.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

San Marcos, TX

$136 5.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 22% $30

Sport & Entertainment

San Marcos, TX

$92 3.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 28.2% $26

Getting Around

San Marcos, TX

$14 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 361% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,350 in San Marcos, TX and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Marcos, TX pays 98% 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: $60.0 in San Marcos, TX vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $363 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

6 h ahead of San Marcos, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,894

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

On the map

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Between locations

San Marcos, TX Lisbon 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

San Marcos, TX
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 Marcos, TX vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Marcos, TX and Lisbon differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,361 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 98% higher in San Marcos, TX, 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: $1,350 in San Marcos, TX versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in San Marcos, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,361 per month in San Marcos, TX versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Marcos, TX. 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 Marcos, TX 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 6% less than in San Marcos, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.