Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santorini and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Santorini: $2,113 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Santorini
🇬🇷 Greece
$2,113
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,113 in Santorini versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Santorini $2,113
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,080 in Santorini versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Santorini $3,080
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,046 in Santorini versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Santorini $4,046
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Santorini costs roughly 5% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santorini 57% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.66 €23.72
$16.50 €14.67
61.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$87.6 €77.9
$61.3 €54.5
43.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.56 €13.84
$11.27 €10.03
38.07%
Cappuccino
$4.64 €4.13
$3.06 €2.72
51.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.71 €3.30
$2.26 €2.01
64.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 €1.18
$1.73 €1.54
-23.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.63 €5.01
$3.39 €3.02
66.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 €6.41
$3.40 €3.02
111.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.99 €1.77
$1.12 €1.00
77.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.86 €1.65
-24.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.38 €3.00
$1.53 €1.36
120.92%
Eggs
$6.54 €5.82
$3.96 €3.53
65.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.26 €12.68
$12.76 €11.35
11.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.71 €6.86
$7.90 €7.02
-2.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.06 €16.07
$16.97 €15.09
6.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 €2.46
$2.27 €2.02
21.59%
Banana (1kg)
$2.22 €1.97
$1.75 €1.55
26.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 €1.44
$1.85 €1.64
-12.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.39 €3.01
$2.57 €2.28
31.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 €2.27
$1.86 €1.65
37.10%
Onion (1kg)
$3.40 €3.02
$2.02 €1.80
68.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 €0.90
$1.44 €1.28
-29.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 €0.53
$0.82 €0.73
-26.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.53 €5.81
$6.56 €5.83
-0.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.68 €5.05
$5.62 €5.00
1.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.73
$1.28 €1.14
52.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 €2.42
$2.07 €1.84
31.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.72 €2.42
$2.35 €2.09
15.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.26 €26.03
$44.18 €39.30
-33.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.20 €1.95
$3.99 €3.55
-44.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.09 €0.97
89.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.23 €12.66
$16.64 €14.81
-14.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.28 €2.03
-0.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.6K €39.7K
$33.7K €30.0K
32.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.7K €40.6K
$39.3K €35.0K
16.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$305 €271
$167 €149
82.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$43.85 €39.00
$18.80 €16.72
133.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.93 €30.18
$33.09 €29.43
2.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$78.9 €70.2
$46.01 €40.93
71.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.20 €22.41
$19.19 €17.07
31.32%
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 €5.86
$9.84 €8.75
-33.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$601 €535
$677 €602
-11.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$16.9K €15.1K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.3 €59.9
$101 €90.1
-33.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.1 €44.54
$45.76 €40.70
9.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.1 €66.8
$100.0 €88.9
-24.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 €100
$123 €109
-8.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,587 €1,411
$1,614 €1,436
-1.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$758 €674
$1,197 €1,065
-36.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,299 €1,155
$2,862 €2,545
-54.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,034 €920
$1,990 €1,770
-48.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,070 €4,510
$7,577 €6,740
-33.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,313 €2,947
$4,307 €3,831
-23.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santorini
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,181 €1,050
$1,588 €1,412
-25.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.15
3.85
7.79%

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

Last update for Santorini: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santorini
$758
Lisbon
$1.2K 57.9% $439
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santorini
$383
Lisbon
$219 42.7% $163
Eating Out
Santorini
$378
Lisbon
$242 36% $136
Groceries & Markets
Santorini
$312
Lisbon
$269 13.7% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Santorini
$137
Lisbon
$166 21.2% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Santorini
$92
Lisbon
$66 28.7% $26
Getting Around
Santorini
$53
Lisbon
$63 19.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,587 in Santorini and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 34% 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: $88.0 in Santorini vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Santorini
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
19:17 7:17 PM
17:17 5:17 PM
2 h behind Santorini
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,233
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santorini Lisbon 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Santorini
  • 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
Santorini vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Santorini and in Lisbon?
Santorini and Lisbon differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,113 vs $2,223 including rent). Santorini is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 34% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Santorini and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,587 in Santorini versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Santorini and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $601 in Santorini versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $2,113 in Santorini versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Santorini but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santorini the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Santorini and Lisbon?
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.
Is Santorini or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Santorini 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.
Where should expats move: Santorini or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Santorini gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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