Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Santarem

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.

70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index

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Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Santiago de Compostela is roughly 11% more expensive than in Santarem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 €11.76

$12.30 €10.94

7.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$39.39 €35.04

68.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 €8.19

$8.99 €8.00

2.45%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$1.71 €1.52

14.04%

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

$2.69 €2.39

$1.78 €1.59

51.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.15 €1.03

88.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.17 €1.93

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.44

$3.39 €3.02

14.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.14 €1.01

5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.46 €0.41

154.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.09 €0.97

21.10%

Eggs

$2.77 €2.47

$3.27 €2.91

-15.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.88

$11.05 €9.83

-19.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 €5.93

$7.14 €6.35

-6.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 €15.12

$13.42 €11.93

26.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.81 €2.50

-27.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.36 €1.21

53.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.50 €2.23

-40.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.12 €1.88

34.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.40 €1.25

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.55 €1.38

-5.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.10 €0.97

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.31 €0.28

170.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$5.62 €5.00

6.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 €4.55

$5.78 €5.14

-11.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.22 €1.09

18.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.57 €3.17

-33.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.25 €2.00

-47.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.89 €29.26

$56.4 €50.2

-41.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 €4.33

$3.53 €3.14

37.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.83 €16.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.04 €1.82

-17.16%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$33.8K €30.1K

4.73%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$38.4K €34.1K

-24.83%

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

$155 €138

$130 €116

19.31%

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

$21.74 €19.34

$20.74 €18.45

4.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.64 €29.04

$56.0 €49.81

-41.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.56

$37.97 €33.78

34.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.19 €1.95

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 €8.99

$6.65 €5.91

52.03%

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

$331 €294

$416 €370

-20.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,249 €7,337

$18.4K €16.4K

-55.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$78.0 €69.3

12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 €55.9

$37.74 €33.57

66.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$107 €95.6

-7.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 €82.1

$132 €117

-30.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 €633

$656 €584

8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 €459

$412 €366

25.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €931

$1,042 €927

0.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €773

$810 €720

7.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,001 €2,670

$2,167 €1,927

38.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,094 €1,863

$1,103 €981

89.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,870 €1,663

$1,068 €950

75.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

4.76

-37.82%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santarem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9%

Santarem

$412 31.7% 20.1% $104

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6%

Santarem

$226 17.4% 5.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6%

Santarem

$207 15.9% 1.3% $2.8

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9%

Santarem

$175 13.5% 12.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7%

Santarem

$160 12.3% 3.6% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5%

Santarem

$51 4% 28.2% $20

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4%

Santarem

$69 * 5.3% 40.4% $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 $712 in Santiago de Compostela and $656 in Santarem. 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: $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela vs $39.00 in Santarem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $226 per month, with Santarem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇵🇹 Santarem

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h behind Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

58,671

💱 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

Santiago de Compostela vs Santarem: 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.

Average pay runs 75% higher in Santiago de Compostela, 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: $712 in Santiago de Compostela versus $656 in Santarem. 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 $331 in Santiago de Compostela versus $416 in Santarem. 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, Santiago de Compostela and Santarem 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.