Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Madeira and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira: $1,510 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,107 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,704 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Sao Joao da Madeira costs roughly 32% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sao Joao da Madeira 12% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 €8.95

$16.50 €14.67

-39.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.79 €17.60

$61.3 €54.5

-67.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 €6.98

$11.27 €10.03

-30.35%

Cappuccino

$1.14 €1.01

$3.06 €2.72

-62.75%

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

$1.09 €0.97

$2.26 €2.01

-51.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.73 €1.54

-43.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.39 €3.02

-2.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.40 €3.02

-36.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.12 €1.00

-24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 €0.28

$1.86 €1.65

-82.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.53 €1.36

-25.49%

Eggs

$2.68 €2.39

$3.96 €3.53

-32.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 €7.63

$12.76 €11.35

-32.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 €4.91

$7.90 €7.02

-30.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.51 €5.79

$16.97 €15.09

-61.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.27 €2.02

-10.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.75 €1.55

-22.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.85 €1.64

-1.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.57 €2.28

10.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.86 €1.65

5.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.02 €1.80

-6.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.44 €1.28

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.82 €0.73

19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 €5.59

$6.56 €5.83

-4.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.53 €4.03

$5.62 €5.00

-19.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.28 €1.14

-5.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.07 €1.84

-21.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.35 €2.09

-4.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.68 €35.29

$44.18 €39.30

-10.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 €3.85

$3.99 €3.55

8.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.09 €0.97

63.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.67 €14.83

$16.64 €14.81

0.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.28 €2.03

-16.67%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$33.7K €30.0K

-1.77%

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

$37.7K €33.5K

$39.3K €35.0K

-4.15%

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

$110 €97.7

$167 €149

-34.43%

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

$16.96 €15.08

$18.80 €16.72

-9.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 €40.99

$33.09 €29.43

39.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.59 €33.44

$46.01 €40.93

-18.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.09 €13.42

$19.19 €17.07

-21.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 €4.84

$9.84 €8.75

-44.72%

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

$341 €303

$677 €602

-49.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,932

$16.9K €15.1K

-40.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 €58.3

$101 €90.1

-35.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 €33.42

$45.76 €40.70

-17.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.7 €73.5

$100.0 €88.9

-17.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 €87.6

$123 €109

-19.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 €851

$1,614 €1,436

-40.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 €683

$1,197 €1,065

-35.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,349

$2,862 €2,545

-46.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,035

$1,990 €1,770

-41.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,957 €2,631

$7,577 €6,740

-60.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,267 €2,017

$4,307 €3,831

-47.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,048 €932

$1,588 €1,412

-34.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

3.85

-7.79%

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

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: 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

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 55.9% $429

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 46.2% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 26.9% $47

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 64.9% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 30.1% $38

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 1.8% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 35.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 52% 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: $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $269 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

Same time as Sao Joao da Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,144

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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From you

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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

Sao Joao da Madeira vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Joao da Madeira and Lisbon differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($1,510 vs $2,223 including rent). Sao Joao da Madeira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% 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: $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $341 in Sao Joao da Madeira 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 46% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Madeira but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Madeira 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, Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.