Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $1,707 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,707

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,707 in San Pedro versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

San Pedro $1,707
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in San Pedro versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

San Pedro $2,825
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,943 in San Pedro versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

San Pedro $3,943
Lisbon $4,319

Living in San Pedro costs roughly 23% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Pedro 26% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 ₡5,563

$16.50 €14.67

-24.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.5 ₡28.0K

$61.3 €54.5

1.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,314

$11.27 €10.03

5.15%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ₡1,964

$3.06 €2.72

43.14%

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

$2.73 ₡1,226

$2.26 €2.01

20.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡829

$1.73 €1.54

6.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,467

$3.39 €3.02

-3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,984

$3.40 €3.02

30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,074

$1.12 €1.00

113.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,363

$1.86 €1.65

63.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.53 €1.36

63.40%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,560

$3.96 €3.53

-12.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,862

$12.76 €11.35

-15.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,718

$7.90 €7.02

33.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,355

$16.97 €15.09

-16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,291

$2.27 €2.02

125.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.75 €1.55

-10.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,153

$1.85 €1.64

159.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,699

$2.57 €2.28

47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,732

$1.86 €1.65

107.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.02 €1.80

84.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡487

$1.44 €1.28

-24.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,388

$0.82 €0.73

278.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 ₡2,677

$6.56 €5.83

-8.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.99 ₡8,963

$5.62 €5.00

255.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,235

$1.28 €1.14

114.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,590

$2.07 €1.84

71.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ₡661

$2.35 €2.09

-37.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,119

$3.99 €3.55

-37.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.09 €0.97

43.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ₡3,964

$16.64 €14.81

-46.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡676

$2.28 €2.03

-33.77%

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

$21.7K ₡9.7M

$33.7K €30.0K

-35.64%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$39.3K €35.0K

-9.41%

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

$94.6 ₡42.4K

$167 €149

-43.50%

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

$35.67 ₡16.0K

$18.80 €16.72

89.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 ₡27.0K

$33.09 €29.43

82.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 ₡31.2K

$46.01 €40.93

51.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 ₡3,417

$9.84 €8.75

-22.56%

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

$985 ₡441.6K

$677 €602

45.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$16.9K €15.1K

2.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.4 ₡32.0K

$101 €90.1

-29.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$45.76 €40.70

20.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.9K

$100.0 €88.9

29.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.9K

$123 €109

6.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 ₡366.9K

$1,614 €1,436

-49.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 ₡273.6K

$1,197 €1,065

-49.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 ₡890.2K

$2,862 €2,545

-30.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 ₡649.1K

$1,990 €1,770

-27.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

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 Pedro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Pedro

$610 35.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 96.2% $587

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$400 23.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 32.7% $131

Eating Out

San Pedro

$231 13.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 4.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$191 11.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 15.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$174 10.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 4.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$85 5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 22.6% $19

Getting Around

San Pedro

$16 * 1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 290% $47

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 $818 in San Pedro and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Pedro vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

03:51 3:51 AM

7 h ahead of San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,477

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Pedro Lisbon 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Pedro and Lisbon differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($1,707 vs $2,223 including rent). San Pedro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,561 in San Pedro and $3,335 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $818 in San Pedro versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 49% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,707 per month in San Pedro versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,707 in San Pedro versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Pedro but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes San Pedro 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 Pedro 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 Pedro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.