Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Monica, CA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

214

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

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santa Monica, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,430

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Santa Monica, CA $4,430
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,581 in Santa Monica, CA versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Santa Monica, CA $6,581
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,732 in Santa Monica, CA versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Santa Monica, CA $8,732
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Santa Monica, CA is roughly 99% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Monica, CA 228% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.77 $26.77

$16.50 €14.67

62.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$61.3 €54.5

92.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$11.27 €10.03

32.03%

Cappuccino

$5.93 $5.93

$3.06 €2.72

93.79%

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

$3.26 $3.26

$2.26 €2.01

44.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.73 €1.54

38.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.39 €3.02

139.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$3.40 €3.02

192.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.12 €1.00

19.64%

White Bread (500g)

$4.57 $4.57

$1.86 €1.65

145.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.53 €1.36

203.92%

Eggs

$5.73 $5.73

$3.96 €3.53

44.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.77 $15.77

$12.76 €11.35

23.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$7.90 €7.02

79.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.80 $19.80

$16.97 €15.09

16.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.27 €2.02

109.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.75 €1.55

30.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.85 €1.64

113.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.57 €2.28

112.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.86 €1.65

77.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.02 €1.80

40.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.44 €1.28

48.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.82 €0.73

202.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$6.56 €5.83

76.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$5.62 €5.00

171.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.28 €1.14

89.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.07 €1.84

47.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.35 €2.09

7.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 $67.0

$44.18 €39.30

51.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.99 €3.55

-21.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.09 €0.97

74.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.68 $32.68

$16.64 €14.81

96.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.28 €2.03

-36.40%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

9.27%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$39.3K €35.0K

-34.93%

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

$218 $218

$167 €149

30.04%

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

$46.37 $46.37

$18.80 €16.72

146.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 $65.1

$33.09 €29.43

96.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 $70.7

$46.01 €40.93

53.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.11 $44.11

$19.19 €17.07

129.86%

Cinema Ticket

$19.36 $19.36

$9.84 €8.75

96.75%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$677 €602

150.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K $32.5K

$16.9K €15.1K

91.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 $88.9

$101 €90.1

-12.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 $54.8

$45.76 €40.70

19.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$100.0 €88.9

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$123 €109

-1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,328 $3,328

$1,614 €1,436

106.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,860 $2,860

$1,197 €1,065

138.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,804 $5,804

$2,862 €2,545

102.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,048 $5,048

$1,990 €1,770

153.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$7,577 €6,740

43.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,924 $7,924

$4,307 €3,831

83.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,900 $6,900

$1,588 €1,412

334.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

3.85

71.95%

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

Last update for Santa Monica, 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 Monica, CA

$2.9K 64.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 58.1% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Monica, CA

$462 10.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 41.6% $192

Eating Out

Santa Monica, CA

$413 9.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 41.4% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Monica, CA

$329 7.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 33.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Monica, CA

$166 3.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Monica, CA

$109 2.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 39.9% $44

Getting Around

Santa Monica, CA

$90 2%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 29.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,328 in Santa Monica, CA and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Monica, CA pays 335% 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: $118 in Santa Monica, CA vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $462 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Monica, CA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

01:15 1:15 AM

8 h ahead of Santa Monica, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,736

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 Monica, CA Lisbon 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Monica, CA and Lisbon differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($4,430 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 335% higher in Santa Monica, 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: $3,328 in Santa Monica, CA versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,694 in Santa Monica, 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 Monica, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Santa Monica, 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 Monica, 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 99% less than in Santa Monica, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.