Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Tecla and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Tecla: $1,355 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,355 in Santa Tecla versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Santa Tecla $1,355
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Santa Tecla versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Santa Tecla $2,006
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,657 in Santa Tecla versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Santa Tecla $2,657
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Santa Tecla costs roughly 39% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Tecla 0% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 $6.56

$16.50 €14.67

-60.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.20 $44.20

$61.3 €54.5

-27.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 $6.82

$11.27 €10.03

-39.49%

Cappuccino

$3.50 $3.50

$3.06 €2.72

14.38%

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

$1.15 $1.15

$2.26 €2.01

-49.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.73 €1.54

-50.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.39 €3.02

-41.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$3.40 €3.02

6.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.12 €1.00

56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.86 €1.65

15.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.53 €1.36

-6.54%

Eggs

$2.30 $2.30

$3.96 €3.53

-41.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$12.76 €11.35

-41.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$7.90 €7.02

-29.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$16.97 €15.09

-39.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.27 €2.02

44.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.75 €1.55

-21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.85 €1.64

42.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.57 €2.28

37.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.86 €1.65

60.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.02 €1.80

65.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.44 €1.28

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.82 €0.73

19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 $3.94

$6.56 €5.83

-39.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.06 $12.06

$5.62 €5.00

114.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.28 €1.14

71.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.07 €1.84

42.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.99 €3.55

54.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.09 €0.97

180.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.27 $20.27

$16.64 €14.81

21.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.28 €2.03

-45.61%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

-24.47%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$39.3K €35.0K

-31.34%

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

$132 $132

$167 €149

-21.28%

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

$20.92 $20.92

$18.80 €16.72

11.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 $42.31

$33.09 €29.43

27.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.72 $24.72

$46.01 €40.93

-46.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$9.84 €8.75

-48.88%

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

$160 $160

$677 €602

-76.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,809 $4,809

$16.9K €15.1K

-71.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$101 €90.1

-33.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 $46.85

$45.76 €40.70

2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$100.0 €88.9

16.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$123 €109

-6.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 $765

$1,614 €1,436

-52.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

$1,197 €1,065

-54.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$2,862 €2,545

-58.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

$1,990 €1,770

-55.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$406 $406

$1,588 €1,412

-74.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

3.85

120.78%

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

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 118% $649

Groceries & Markets

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 3.6% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 12.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7.1% $11

Eating Out

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 72.8% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 88.9% $31

Getting Around

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 193% $42

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 $765 in Santa Tecla and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 291% 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: $44.00 in Santa Tecla vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $269 per month, with Santa Tecla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

7 h ahead of Santa Tecla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,695

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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Santa Tecla Lisbon 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Tecla vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Tecla and Lisbon differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,355 vs $2,223 including rent). Santa Tecla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 291% 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: $765 in Santa Tecla versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,355 per month in Santa Tecla versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,355 in Santa Tecla versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santa Tecla but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Tecla 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 Tecla 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 Tecla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.