Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sintra and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sintra: $1,593 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,593

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,593 in Sintra versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Sintra $1,593
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,321 in Sintra versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Sintra $2,321
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,048 in Sintra versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Sintra $3,048
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Sintra costs roughly 28% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sintra 18% above, Lisbon 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.76 €11.41

$16.86 €15.08

-24.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €49.18

$61.0 €54.6

-9.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 €7.77

$10.98 €9.82

-20.95%

Cappuccino

$1.34 €1.19

$3.05 €2.73

-56.07%

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

$1.55 €1.39

$2.28 €2.04

-32.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.68 €1.50

-29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.44 €3.07

-0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.47

$3.91 €3.49

-29.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.92

$1.15 €1.03

-11.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.89 €1.69

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.50 €1.34

-12.67%

Eggs

$2.71 €2.43

$4.12 €3.68

-34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 €7.79

$13.01 €11.63

-32.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 €6.25

$8.04 €7.19

-13.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 €9.75

$17.89 €16.00

-39.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 €1.61

$2.27 €2.03

-21.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.74 €1.56

-27.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.82 €1.63

-22.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.69 €2.40

-18.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.77 €1.58

-25.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.94 €1.73

-14.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.46 €1.31

10.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$0.76 €0.68

-11.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.62

$6.66 €5.95

-5.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.43 €3.07

$5.64 €5.04

-39.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.29 €1.15

1.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.24

$2.14 €1.91

-35.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.30 €2.06

-3.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.38 €35.21

$44.02 €39.36

-10.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 €3.18

$3.98 €3.56

-10.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 €0.49

$0.64 €0.57

-15.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.74 €14.97

$18.93 €16.92

-11.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.28 €2.03

-4.39%

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

$33.8K €30.3K

$33.4K €29.8K

1.38%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

-0.05%

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

$125 €112

$158 €141

-20.89%

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

$21.41 €19.14

$17.54 €15.68

22.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.38 €39.69

$31.18 €27.89

42.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 €36.30

$44.64 €39.92

-9.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.08 €15.27

$18.98 €16.97

-10.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 €7.77

$9.58 €8.56

-9.29%

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

$621 €555

$674 €602

-7.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,054 €5,414

$18.7K €16.7K

-67.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 €68.5

$102 €91.4

-25.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.72 €39.99

$45.90 €41.04

-2.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.2

$102 €91.4

4.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.85 €44.57

$122 €109

-59.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$974 €871

$1,641 €1,467

-40.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 €700

$1,187 €1,062

-34.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 €1,418

$2,825 €2,526

-43.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 €1,069

$2,018 €1,805

-40.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,102 €2,774

$7,836 €7,007

-60.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,334 €2,087

$4,701 €4,204

-50.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,320 €1,181

$1,687 €1,508

-21.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.82

-7.33%

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

Last update for Sintra: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sintra

$783 49.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 51.6% $404

Groceries & Markets

Sintra

$204 12.8%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 34.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sintra

$191 12%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 8.4% $16

Eating Out

Sintra

$178 11.2%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 38% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Sintra

$125 7.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 34.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sintra

$58 3.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 10% $5.8

Getting Around

Sintra

$55 3.4%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 10.8% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $974 in Sintra and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 28% 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: $55 in Sintra vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $275 per month, with Sintra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sintra

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

Same time as Sintra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,654

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sintra Lisbon 24 km

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Sintra
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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

Sintra vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,593 in Sintra and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Sintra is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Sintra. 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: $974 in Sintra versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $621 in Sintra versus $674 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Sintra is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sintra and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sintra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.