Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $3,474 in Santa Ana, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana, CA
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Santa Ana, CA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santa Ana, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,474

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,521 in Santa Ana, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Santa Ana, CA $3,521
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,082 in Santa Ana, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Santa Ana, CA $5,082
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,643 in Santa Ana, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Santa Ana, CA $6,643
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Santa Ana, CA is roughly 58% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Ana, CA 161% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.65 $22.65

$17.04 €15.15

32.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 $81.4

$62.3 €55.4

30.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.64 $16.64

$11.02 €9.80

51.00%

Cappuccino

$5.92 $5.92

$3.12 €2.78

89.74%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$2.27 €2.02

33.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.74 €1.55

37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 $7.35

$3.42 €3.04

114.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.71 $9.71

$3.74 €3.33

159.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.17 €1.04

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.03 $4.03

$1.86 €1.66

116.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$1.54 €1.37

203.25%

Eggs

$5.79 $5.79

$4.06 €3.61

42.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$12.91 €11.49

-0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.06 $17.06

$7.90 €7.03

115.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.14 $21.14

$17.64 €15.69

19.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.26 €2.01

118.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.75 €1.55

-4.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.89 €1.68

116.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.56 €2.27

123.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.85 €1.64

101.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.97 €1.75

61.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.45 €1.29

44.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.77 €0.69

138.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.69 $11.69

$6.71 €5.97

74.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$5.67 €5.04

162.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.37 €1.22

82.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.11 €1.88

92.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.32 €2.07

-14.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.0 $69.0

$44.43 €39.52

55.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 $6.31

$3.95 €3.51

59.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.05 €0.93

360.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.18 $48.18

$17.15 €15.26

180.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.19 €1.95

-31.05%

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

$29.3K $29.3K

$33.8K €30.0K

-13.15%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-29.61%

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

$173 $173

$164 €146

5.91%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$18.48 €16.43

266.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$32.96 €29.32

123.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 $56.7

$45.87 €40.80

23.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.05 $44.05

$18.68 €16.61

135.81%

Cinema Ticket

$15.40 $15.40

$9.75 €8.67

57.95%

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

$1,202 $1,202

$684 €608

75.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 $62.5

$104 €92.3

-39.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.17 $42.17

$46.20 €41.09

-8.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$99.7 €88.7

6.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$125 €111

16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,617 $2,617

$1,589 €1,414

64.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 $1,965

$1,169 €1,040

68.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,217 $3,217

$2,851 €2,536

12.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,227 $3,227

$1,993 €1,773

61.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,596 $4,596

$7,793 €6,932

-41.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,226 $4,226

$4,418 €3,930

-4.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,286 $3,286

$1,600 €1,423

105.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

3.85

65.97%

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

Last update for Santa Ana, CA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana, CA

$2K 56.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 40.5% $796

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana, CA

$458 13.2%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 40.4% $185

Eating Out

Santa Ana, CA

$380 10.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 34.9% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana, CA

$315 9.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 31.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana, CA

$160 4.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 5.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Santa Ana, CA

$107 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 41.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana, CA

$87 2.5%

Lisbon

$65 3% 25.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,679 in Santa Ana, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Ana, CA pays 94% 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: $79.0 in Santa Ana, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $460 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Ana, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

8 h ahead of Santa Ana, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

335,400

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

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Between locations

Santa Ana, CA Lisbon 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Ana, 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

Santa Ana, CA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Ana, CA and Lisbon differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($3,521 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 94% higher in Santa Ana, CA, 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: $2,679 in Santa Ana, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,203 in Santa Ana, CA 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 71% higher in Santa Ana, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $3,521 in Santa Ana, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Santa Ana, 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, Santa Ana, CA 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 58% less than in Santa Ana, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.