Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $639 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $639 in Santa Cruz versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Santa Cruz $639
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,172 in Santa Cruz versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Santa Cruz $1,172
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,704 in Santa Cruz versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Santa Cruz $1,704
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Santa Cruz costs roughly 71% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz is 53% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 BOB 23.19

$16.50 €14.67

-87.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.80 BOB 195

$61.3 €54.5

-72.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 BOB 59.2

$11.27 €10.03

-54.75%

Cappuccino

$1.77 BOB 20.52

$3.06 €2.72

-42.16%

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

$0.49 BOB 5.72

$2.26 €2.01

-78.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 BOB 4.97

$1.73 €1.54

-75.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 BOB 9.97

$3.39 €3.02

-74.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 BOB 14.35

$3.40 €3.02

-63.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 BOB 8.23

$1.12 €1.00

-36.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 BOB 10.88

$1.86 €1.65

-49.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BOB 11.93

$1.53 €1.36

-32.68%

Eggs

$1.06 BOB 12.27

$3.96 €3.53

-73.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.15 BOB 36.56

$12.76 €11.35

-75.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.58 BOB 29.92

$7.90 €7.02

-67.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.98 BOB 57.8

$16.97 €15.09

-70.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 BOB 21.12

$2.27 €2.02

-19.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 BOB 7.24

$1.75 €1.55

-64.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 BOB 8.81

$1.85 €1.64

-58.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 BOB 8.48

$2.57 €2.28

-71.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 BOB 8.55

$1.86 €1.65

-60.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 BOB 7.75

$2.02 €1.80

-66.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 BOB 6.66

$1.44 €1.28

-60.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 BOB 7.36

$0.82 €0.73

-23.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 BOB 22.25

$6.56 €5.83

-70.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.32 BOB 50.2

$5.62 €5.00

-23.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 BOB 11.86

$1.28 €1.14

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BOB 19.01

$2.07 €1.84

-20.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 BOB 2.78

$2.35 €2.09

-89.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.48 BOB 261

$44.18 €39.30

-49.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BOB 19.05

$3.99 €3.55

-58.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BOB 10.58

$1.09 €0.97

-16.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 BOB 73.3

$16.64 €14.81

-62.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 BOB 6.59

$2.28 €2.03

-75.00%

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

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

$33.7K €30.0K

-58.23%

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

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-50.98%

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

$34.84 BOB 405

$167 €149

-79.20%

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

$19.67 BOB 228

$18.80 €16.72

4.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.53 BOB 204

$33.09 €29.43

-47.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.56 BOB 227

$46.01 €40.93

-57.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 BOB 149

$19.19 €17.07

-33.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 BOB 68.1

$9.84 €8.75

-40.45%

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

$112 BOB 1,303

$677 €602

-83.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

$16.9K €15.1K

-82.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.21 BOB 316

$101 €90.1

-73.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.79 BOB 416

$45.76 €40.70

-21.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 BOB 769

$100.0 €88.9

-33.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 BOB 677

$123 €109

-52.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 BOB 3,105

$1,614 €1,436

-83.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 BOB 2,869

$1,197 €1,065

-79.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 BOB 10.6K

$2,862 €2,545

-68.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 BOB 9,630

$1,990 €1,770

-58.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

$7,577 €6,740

-82.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$737 BOB 8,551

$4,307 €3,831

-82.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 BOB 3,204

$1,588 €1,412

-82.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.17

3.85

60.26%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 385% $950

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 140% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 97.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 205% $147

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 285% $179

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9%

Lisbon

$66 3% 110% $34

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 113% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $267 in Santa Cruz and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 475% 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: $17.00 in Santa Cruz vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $112 vs $269 per month, with Santa Cruz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

08:54 8:54 AM

5 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BOB – Bolivian Boliviano Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BOB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz Lisbon 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Cruz vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz and Lisbon differ by about 248% in total monthly costs ($639 vs $2,223 including rent). Santa Cruz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 475% lower in Lisbon. 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: $267 in Santa Cruz versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $112 in Santa Cruz 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 140% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $639 in Santa Cruz versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz 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 Cruz 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 Santa Cruz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 248% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.