Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $4,325 in Santa Cruz, CA, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

211

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santa Cruz, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,325

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,325 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Santa Cruz, CA $4,325
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,239 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Santa Cruz, CA $6,239
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,152 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Santa Cruz, CA $8,152
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Santa Cruz, CA is roughly 95% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Cruz, CA 220% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.97 $24.97

$16.50 €14.67

51.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$61.3 €54.5

63.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.15 $15.15

$11.27 €10.03

34.43%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$3.06 €2.72

86.60%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$2.26 €2.01

51.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.73 €1.54

32.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.39 €3.02

131.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$3.40 €3.02

138.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.12 €1.00

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.86 €1.65

154.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.80 $7.80

$1.53 €1.36

409.80%

Eggs

$6.16 $6.16

$3.96 €3.53

55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.59 $26.59

$12.76 €11.35

108.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.85 $16.85

$7.90 €7.02

113.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 $17.71

$16.97 €15.09

4.36%

Apples (1kg)

$7.96 $7.96

$2.27 €2.02

250.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.75 €1.55

32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.36 $8.36

$1.85 €1.64

351.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$2.57 €2.28

161.87%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.86 €1.65

135.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.02 €1.80

48.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.44 €1.28

245.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.82 €0.73

263.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$6.56 €5.83

78.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.52 $24.52

$5.62 €5.00

336.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.28 €1.14

68.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.07 €1.84

56.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.35 €2.09

-15.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 $64.4

$44.18 €39.30

45.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.99 €3.55

-21.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.09 €0.97

122.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.55 $40.55

$16.64 €14.81

143.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.28 €2.03

-32.46%

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

$37.5K $37.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

11.48%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-34.39%

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

$377 $377

$167 €149

124.98%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$18.80 €16.72

213.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$33.09 €29.43

102.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.3 $79.3

$46.01 €40.93

72.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.55 $12.55

$19.19 €17.07

-34.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 $15.76

$9.84 €8.75

60.16%

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

$2,455 $2,455

$677 €602

262.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.4K $29.4K

$16.9K €15.1K

73.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 $66.9

$101 €90.1

-33.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.92 $48.92

$45.76 €40.70

6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 $90.7

$100.0 €88.9

-9.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$123 €109

30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 $3,054

$1,614 €1,436

89.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,471 $2,471

$1,197 €1,065

106.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,807 $4,807

$2,862 €2,545

67.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,164 $4,164

$1,990 €1,770

109.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,919 $7,919

$7,577 €6,740

4.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K $11.3K

$4,307 €3,831

161.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,511 $5,511

$1,588 €1,412

247.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.47

3.85

68.05%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: 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, CA

$2.5K 57.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 51.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, CA

$596 13.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 54.8% $327

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, CA

$503 11.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 56.4% $283

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, CA

$392 9.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 38.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, CA

$165 3.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 0.9% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, CA

$111 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 40.7% $45

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, CA

$88 2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 28.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,054 in Santa Cruz, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz, CA pays 247% 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: $100 in Santa Cruz, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $596 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Cruz, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

22:26 10:26 PM

8 h ahead of Santa Cruz, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,220

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 Cruz, CA Lisbon 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Cruz, CA and Lisbon differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($4,325 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 247% higher in Santa Cruz, 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: $3,054 in Santa Cruz, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,455 in Santa Cruz, 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 121% higher in Santa Cruz, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $4,325 in Santa Cruz, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Santa Cruz, 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 Cruz, 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 95% less than in Santa Cruz, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.