Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Mateo, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $4,607 in San Mateo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

223

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Mateo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,607

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,607 in San Mateo, CA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

San Mateo, CA $4,607
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,460 in San Mateo, CA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

San Mateo, CA $6,460
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,313 in San Mateo, CA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

San Mateo, CA $8,313
Lisbon $4,341

Living in San Mateo, CA is roughly 108% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Mateo, CA 238% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 $20.32

$16.65 €14.95

22.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$61.7 €55.5

63.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.89 $12.89

$11.36 €10.20

13.47%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$2.97 €2.67

95.29%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.29 €2.06

32.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.74 €1.56

61.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.35 $8.35

$3.40 €3.06

145.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$3.31 €2.97

206.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.16 €1.04

41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$5.95 $5.95

$1.91 €1.72

211.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$1.51 €1.36

312.58%

Eggs

$7.45 $7.45

$4.02 €3.61

85.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 $13.58

$12.94 €11.62

4.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.53 $18.53

$7.77 €6.98

138.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.67 $19.67

$17.76 €15.95

10.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$2.30 €2.07

157.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.73 €1.56

30.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.86 €1.67

118.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.56 $8.56

$2.59 €2.33

230.50%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.82 €1.64

140.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.97 €1.77

61.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.47 €1.32

105.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.72 €0.65

169.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$6.58 €5.91

78.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.52 $14.52

$5.61 €5.04

158.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.36 €1.22

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.14 €1.92

-7.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.33 €2.10

-5.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.8 $64.8

$44.68 €40.14

44.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 $4.24

$3.85 €3.46

10.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.07 €0.96

91.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$2.20 €1.98

-29.55%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$34.2K €30.7K

-19.72%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

-32.35%

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

$268 $268

$161 €145

66.02%

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

$41.40 $41.40

$18.41 €16.54

124.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 $60.9

$32.74 €29.41

85.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 $81.3

$44.55 €40.02

82.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.60 $9.60

$19.10 €17.16

-49.74%

Cinema Ticket

$17.80 $17.80

$9.60 €8.62

85.42%

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

$3,045 $3,045

$668 €600

356.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.6K $28.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

62.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 $62.0

$102 €91.6

-39.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.94 $45.94

$44.46 €39.94

3.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$98.5 €88.5

20.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$124 €111

10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,414 $3,414

$1,608 €1,445

112.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,991 $2,991

$1,190 €1,069

151.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,766 $5,766

$2,812 €2,526

105.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,683 $4,683

$2,013 €1,808

132.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,613 $9,613

$7,839 €7,042

22.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,493 $8,493

$4,576 €4,110

85.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,661 $7,661

$1,575 €1,415

386.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

3.85

69.61%

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

Last update for San Mateo, CA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Mateo, CA

$3K 64.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 60.2% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

San Mateo, CA

$522 11.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 47.8% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Mateo, CA

$370 8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 42.6% $158

Eating Out

San Mateo, CA

$356 7.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 31.9% $114

Clothing & Footwear

San Mateo, CA

$163 3.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.6% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

San Mateo, CA

$117 2.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 45.5% $53

Getting Around

San Mateo, CA

$88 1.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 28.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,414 in San Mateo, CA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Mateo, CA pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in San Mateo, CA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $522 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Mateo, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

23:04 11:04 PM

7 h ahead of San Mateo, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,536

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Mateo, CA Lisbon 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,607 in San Mateo, CA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in San Mateo, CA is about 4.9 times higher, 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: $3,414 in San Mateo, CA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,045 in San Mateo, CA versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in San Mateo, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $4,607 in San Mateo, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in San Mateo, 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 Mateo, CA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in San Mateo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.