Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, Costa Rica and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $2,006 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

96

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,006

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,006 in Santa Ana versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Santa Ana $2,006
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,232 in Santa Ana versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Santa Ana $3,232
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,458 in Santa Ana versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Santa Ana $4,458
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Santa Ana costs roughly 9% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Ana 48% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 ₡5,584

$16.86 €15.09

-26.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 ₡27.9K

$61.0 €54.6

1.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 ₡5,139

$10.98 €9.83

4.10%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,052

$3.05 €2.73

49.51%

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

$2.25 ₡1,010

$2.28 €2.04

-1.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₡626

$1.68 €1.51

-17.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$3.44 €3.07

-4.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,960

$3.91 €3.49

11.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,033

$1.15 €1.03

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,367

$1.89 €1.69

60.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,085

$1.50 €1.34

60.67%

Eggs

$3.43 ₡1,542

$4.12 €3.68

-16.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 ₡4,719

$13.01 €11.64

-19.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,604

$8.04 €7.20

27.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,248

$17.89 €16.01

-22.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,339

$2.27 €2.03

129.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.74 €1.56

-6.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,152

$1.82 €1.63

163.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,714

$2.69 €2.40

41.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,717

$1.77 €1.58

115.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$1.94 €1.73

90.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡482

$1.46 €1.31

-26.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡842

$0.76 €0.68

146.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 ₡2,658

$6.66 €5.96

-11.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.48 ₡7,860

$5.64 €5.05

209.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.29 €1.16

124.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,190

$2.14 €1.91

23.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.39

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 ₡998

$3.98 €3.56

-44.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡826

$0.64 €0.57

187.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.18 ₡3,676

$18.93 €16.93

-56.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡680

$2.28 €2.04

-33.77%

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

$28.6K ₡12.9M

$33.4K €29.9K

-14.35%

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

$37.6K ₡16.9M

$38.5K €34.5K

-2.40%

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

$91.7 ₡41.2K

$158 €142

-42.01%

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

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$17.54 €15.69

86.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.36 ₡22.2K

$31.18 €27.90

58.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$161 ₡72.5K

$44.64 €39.95

261.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.07 ₡9,922

$18.98 €16.98

16.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,450

$9.58 €8.57

-19.94%

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

$982 ₡441.4K

$674 €603

45.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K ₡8.6M

$18.7K €16.8K

2.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 ₡30.0K

$102 €91.4

-34.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 ₡25.0K

$45.90 €41.07

21.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$102 €91.5

24.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.2K

$122 €109

7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ₡483.4K

$1,641 €1,468

-34.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ₡390.8K

$1,187 €1,062

-26.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 ₡1.3M

$2,825 €2,527

4.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ₡830.6K

$2,018 €1,806

-8.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,735 ₡1.2M

$7,836 €7,011

-65.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,706 ₡767.3K

$4,701 €4,206

-63.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,427 ₡641.4K

$1,687 €1,509

-15.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.82

125.65%

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

Last update for Santa Ana: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$869 43.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 36.6% $318

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$375 18.7%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 26.9% $101

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$228 11.4%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 7.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$177 8.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 63.9% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$174 8.7%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 19% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$172 8.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 2.4% $4.1

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$11 * 0.6%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 429% $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 $1,075 in Santa Ana and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Santa Ana vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $275 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

01:57 1:57 AM

6 h ahead of Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Ana Lisbon 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,006 in Santa Ana and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Santa Ana is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Santa Ana. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,075 in Santa Ana versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $982 in Santa Ana versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,006 per month in Santa Ana versus $2,206 in Lisbon – Santa Ana is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Santa Ana 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, Santa Ana and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Ana wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.