Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Sebastian: $2,066 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,066 in San Sebastian versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

San Sebastian $2,066
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,076 in San Sebastian versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

San Sebastian $3,076
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in San Sebastian versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

San Sebastian $4,086
Lisbon $4,341

Living in San Sebastian costs roughly 7% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Sebastian 52% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.85 €16.88

$16.65 €14.91

13.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €55.5

$61.7 €55.3

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 €9.65

$11.36 €10.17

-5.11%

Cappuccino

$2.31 €2.07

$2.97 €2.66

-22.22%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$2.29 €2.05

24.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.74 €1.56

-6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.94

$3.40 €3.05

-3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.31

$3.31 €2.96

11.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.16 €1.04

1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.91 €1.71

-41.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.51 €1.35

21.85%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.24

$4.02 €3.60

-9.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.61 €20.25

$12.94 €11.59

74.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.08

$7.77 €6.96

1.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.49

$17.76 €15.91

16.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.30 €2.06

8.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.73 €1.55

59.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$1.86 €1.66

77.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.62

$2.59 €2.32

12.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$1.82 €1.63

42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.97 €1.76

3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.47 €1.32

-19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.72 €0.65

43.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.08

$6.58 €5.90

3.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.59

$5.61 €5.02

31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.36 €1.22

26.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.14 €1.91

-17.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.33 €2.09

-7.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.69 €30.17

$44.68 €40.01

-24.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 €6.11

$3.85 €3.45

77.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.79

$1.07 €0.96

-16.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.77

$16.46 €14.74

34.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.20 €1.97

-22.73%

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

$35.2K €31.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

2.97%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

-19.88%

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

$136 €122

$161 €144

-15.68%

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

$25.48 €22.82

$18.41 €16.49

38.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.61 €31.89

$32.74 €29.32

8.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 €37.83

$44.55 €39.90

-5.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.45

$19.10 €17.10

2.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 €7.62

$9.60 €8.60

-11.35%

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

$454 €406

$668 €598

-32.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$17.6K €15.8K

-20.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$102 €91.4

-1.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.72 €29.31

$44.46 €39.82

-26.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 €66.4

$98.5 €88.2

-24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$124 €111

7.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,316

$1,608 €1,440

-8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €917

$1,190 €1,066

-13.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,371 €2,123

$2,812 €2,519

-15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,497

$2,013 €1,803

-16.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,813 €8,789

$7,839 €7,021

25.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,360 €4,800

$4,576 €4,098

17.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,011 €2,696

$1,575 €1,411

91.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

3.85

-24.16%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 16.3% $166

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$327 15.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 16.7% $55

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$253 12.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 3.9% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$197 9.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 7.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$153 7.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 2.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 7.6% $4.5

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$54 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 18% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,470 in San Sebastian and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 91% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in San Sebastian vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

00:59 12:59 AM

1 h behind San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Sebastian Lisbon 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,066 in San Sebastian and $2,210 in Lisbon, so San Sebastian is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% higher in San Sebastian, 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: $1,470 in San Sebastian versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,066 per month in San Sebastian versus $2,210 in Lisbon – San Sebastian is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. San Sebastian is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sebastian and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.