Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santarem and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Santarem: $1,300 a month against $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index

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Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santarem and in Santiago de Compostela

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santarem and in Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,300 in Santarem versus $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela.

Santarem $1,300
Santiago de Compostela $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,014 in Santarem versus $2,215 in Santiago de Compostela.

Santarem $2,014
Santiago de Compostela $2,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,729 in Santarem versus $2,991 in Santiago de Compostela.

Santarem $2,729
Santiago de Compostela $2,991

Living in Santarem costs roughly 10% less than in Santiago de Compostela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santarem is 4% below, Santiago de Compostela is 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 €10.94

$13.22 €11.76

-6.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.39 €35.04

$66.5 €59.2

-40.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 €8.00

$9.21 €8.19

-2.39%

Cappuccino

$1.71 €1.52

$1.95 €1.74

-12.31%

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

$1.78 €1.59

$2.69 €2.39

-33.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$2.17 €1.93

-47.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.10 €2.76

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.87 €3.44

-12.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.20 €1.07

-5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 €0.41

$1.17 €1.04

-60.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.32 €1.17

-17.42%

Eggs

$3.27 €2.91

$2.77 €2.47

18.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 €9.83

$8.85 €7.88

24.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 €6.35

$6.67 €5.93

7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 €11.93

$17.00 €15.12

-21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.04 €1.81

37.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.09 €1.86

-34.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.48 €1.32

68.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.86 €2.54

-25.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.96 €1.74

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.47 €1.30

5.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.13 €1.01

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 €0.28

$0.84 €0.75

-63.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 €5.00

$5.97 €5.31

-5.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.14

$5.12 €4.55

12.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.45 €1.29

-15.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.17

$2.37 €2.11

50.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.19 €1.06

89.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 €50.2

$32.89 €29.26

71.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 €3.14

$4.87 €4.33

-27.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.83 €16.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.69 €1.50

20.71%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$35.4K €31.5K

-4.52%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$28.8K €25.7K

33.03%

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

$130 €116

$155 €138

-16.18%

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

$20.74 €18.45

$21.74 €19.34

-4.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.81

$32.64 €29.04

71.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.97 €33.78

$51.2 €45.56

-25.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.19 €1.95

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 €5.91

$10.11 €8.99

-34.22%

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

$416 €370

$331 €294

25.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.4K

$8,249 €7,337

123.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 €69.3

$87.7 €78.1

-11.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 €33.57

$62.9 €55.9

-39.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$100.0 €88.9

7.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$92.3 €82.1

43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 €584

$712 €633

-7.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 €366

$516 €459

-20.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$1,047 €931

-0.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 €720

$869 €773

-6.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,167 €1,927

$3,001 €2,670

-27.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 €981

$2,094 €1,863

-47.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,068 €950

$1,870 €1,663

-42.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

2.96

60.81%

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

Last update for Santarem: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santarem

$412 31.7%

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9% 25.2% $104

Groceries & Markets

Santarem

$226 17.4%

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6% 6.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santarem

$207 15.9%

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6% 1.3% $2.8

Eating Out

Santarem

$175 13.5%

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9% 13.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Santarem

$160 12.3%

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7% 3.5% $5.5

Getting Around

Santarem

$69 * 5.3%

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4% 28.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Santarem

$51 4%

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5% 39.3% $20

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 $656 in Santarem and $712 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 75% 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: $39.00 in Santarem vs $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $240 per month, with Santarem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Santarem

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

1 h ahead of Santarem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,671

98,687

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Santarem vs Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santarem wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Santiago de Compostela. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santarem the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Santiago de Compostela. 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: $656 in Santarem versus $712 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santarem runs roughly 72% less than in Santiago de Compostela. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $416 in Santarem versus $331 in Santiago de Compostela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,300 in Santarem versus $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santarem but tight or insufficient in Santiago de Compostela. The gap between the two cities makes Santarem 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, Santarem and Santiago de Compostela 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 Santarem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Santiago de Compostela. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.