Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,899 in Santa Maria, CA, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santa Maria, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,899

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,899 in Santa Maria, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Santa Maria, CA $2,899
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,163 in Santa Maria, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Santa Maria, CA $4,163
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,427 in Santa Maria, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Santa Maria, CA $5,427
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Santa Maria, CA is roughly 30% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Maria, CA 115% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.21 $13.21

$16.50 €14.67

-19.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.6 $59.6

$61.3 €54.5

-2.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$11.27 €10.03

-12.69%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$3.06 €2.72

98.37%

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

$3.44 $3.44

$2.26 €2.01

52.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.73 €1.54

13.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 $7.52

$3.39 €3.02

121.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.38 $9.38

$3.40 €3.02

175.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.12 €1.00

-5.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.86 €1.65

121.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.53 €1.36

216.99%

Eggs

$4.79 $4.79

$3.96 €3.53

20.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 $8.83

$12.76 €11.35

-30.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$7.90 €7.02

-4.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 $13.55

$16.97 €15.09

-20.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.27 €2.02

-41.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.75 €1.55

-18.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.85 €1.64

37.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.57 €2.28

27.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.86 €1.65

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.02 €1.80

-46.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.44 €1.28

36.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.82 €0.73

125.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.50 $11.50

$6.56 €5.83

75.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.15 $15.15

$5.62 €5.00

169.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.28 €1.14

51.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.07 €1.84

107.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.35 €2.09

-13.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.55 $49.55

$44.18 €39.30

12.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.20 $6.20

$3.99 €3.55

55.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$2.28 €2.03

-42.98%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

8.85%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$39.3K €35.0K

-31.56%

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

$162 $162

$167 €149

-3.34%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$18.80 €16.72

264.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.4 $60.4

$33.09 €29.43

82.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.38 $29.38

$46.01 €40.93

-36.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$14.90 $14.90

$9.84 €8.75

51.42%

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

$1,888 $1,888

$677 €602

178.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.77 $46.77

$101 €90.1

-53.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.74 $39.74

$45.76 €40.70

-13.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 $93.7

$100.0 €88.9

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 $125

$123 €109

1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,199 $2,199

$1,614 €1,436

36.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,197 €1,065

45.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,497 $3,497

$2,862 €2,545

22.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,928 $2,928

$1,990 €1,770

47.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,572 $8,572

$7,577 €6,740

13.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,442 $8,442

$4,307 €3,831

96.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,231 $4,231

$1,588 €1,412

166.50%

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 Maria, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Maria, CA

$1.7K 60%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 31.1% $541

Groceries & Markets

Santa Maria, CA

$323 11.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 16.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Maria, CA

$291 10%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 24.6% $71

Eating Out

Santa Maria, CA

$286 9.9%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 15.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Maria, CA

$137 4.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 21.3% $29

Getting Around

Santa Maria, CA

$64 * 2.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 1.4% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Maria, CA

$59 2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 11% $6.5

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 $2,199 in Santa Maria, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Maria, CA pays 166% 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: $60.0 in Santa Maria, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Maria, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

06:01 6:01 AM

8 h ahead of Santa Maria, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,408

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

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Maria, CA Lisbon 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Maria, CA and Lisbon differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,899 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 166% higher in Santa Maria, 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: $2,199 in Santa Maria, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,888 in Santa Maria, 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 20% higher in Santa Maria, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,899 in Santa Maria, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Santa Maria, 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 Maria, 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 30% less than in Santa Maria, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.