Aerial view of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay
Lisbon's Alfama hillside with the São Vicente de Fora monastery and the National Pantheon dome above the Tagus

San Francisco vs. Portugal (Lisbon)

Hills, trams, a big red bridge and fog: the two cities even look alike. Which week costs less?

City🗓 7 nights👥 2 adults✈ Round trip from Los Angeles📅 Checked October 2026

Flying from

Photos: San Francisco: Craig Howell from San Carlos, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Lisbon: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons · Photo credits

Heads up: every price on this page is a sample estimate, not live pricing or a quote. The ranges come from published typical fares and rates plus our own assumptions (sources are below). Change the departure airport above to recalculate, and use the booking buttons to check today's real prices.

. Fares and totals are estimates, not live prices.

San Francisco

≈ $3,730

$2,681–$4,774

San Francisco comes out about $1,150 cheaper for 2 adults at the midpoint.

Flying from Los Angeles (LAX)

Sample estimate, not live pricing

Lisbon

≈ $4,860

$3,641–$6,080

Aerial view of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay
US trip

San Francisco

USA · SFO

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$2,681–$4,774

Midpoint ≈ $3,730 · ≈ $1,860 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $28–$42 per person$56–$84
Lodging7 nights × $170–$300 per night$1,190–$2,100
Food & drink7 days × $130–$210 per day$910–$1,470
Local transport7 days × $25–$50 per day$175–$350
Activities7 days × $50–$110 per day$350–$770
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$2,681–$4,774
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 1.5 hr nonstop (many LA travelers drive ~6 hr instead)
Best time to go
September–October has the warmest, clearest weather; summer is often foggy and cool.
Entry
No passport needed for US citizens.
Watch for
Hotel taxes plus "urban fees"; car break-ins are common, so skip the rental car and use Muni/BART.
Best for
Short flight, wine country day trips

Book flights, tours & more for San Francisco ↓ (affiliate links)

Lisbon's Alfama hillside with the São Vicente de Fora monastery and the National Pantheon dome above the Tagus
Abroad

Portugal (Lisbon)

Portugal · LIS

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,641–$6,080

Midpoint ≈ $4,860 · ≈ $2,430 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $1,033–$1,605 per person$2,066–$3,210
Lodging7 nights × $110–$190 per night$770–$1,330
Food & drink7 days × $70–$120 per day$490–$840
Local transport7 days × $15–$30 per day$105–$210
Activities7 days × $30–$70 per day$210–$490
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,641–$6,080
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 11 hr nonstop (seasonal), or 13+ hr with a stop
Best time to go
March–May and September–October. April and January tend to have the lowest fares; June–August the highest.
Entry
Passport required. Check whether the EU's ETIAS travel authorization is in effect before you go.
Watch for
Lisbon city tourist tax per person per night; airport transfer; some restaurants charge for bread/olives (couvert) you don't send back.
Best for
History, food, European charm

Book flights, tours & more for Lisbon ↓ (affiliate links)

All-in totals by departure city

7 nights for 2 adults, round-trip flights from each city included. The big number is the midpoint of our estimate range; the full range is underneath. Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Flying fromSan FranciscoLisbonResult
Los Angeles (LAX)≈ $3,730$2,681–$4,774≈ $4,860$3,641–$6,080San Francisco ~$1,150 cheaper
Las Vegas (LAS)≈ $3,910$2,823–$4,988≈ $4,850$3,475–$6,218San Francisco ~$950 cheaper
Phoenix (PHX)≈ $3,950$2,799–$5,098≈ $4,780$3,577–$5,978San Francisco ~$850 cheaper
Denver (DEN)≈ $4,030$2,875–$5,194≈ $4,790$3,417–$6,160San Francisco ~$750 cheaper
Dallas (DFW)≈ $4,310$3,147–$5,474≈ $4,910$3,623–$6,206San Francisco ~$600 cheaper
Seattle (SEA)≈ $4,020$2,937–$5,102≈ $5,010$3,811–$6,208San Francisco ~$1,000 cheaper
Chicago (CHI)≈ $4,410$3,227–$5,600≈ $4,770$3,565–$5,972Roughly even (within ~$350)
New York (NYC)≈ $4,290$3,097–$5,490≈ $3,440$2,751–$4,136Lisbon ~$850 cheaper

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Flight searches start from Los Angeles (LAX) for a 7-night trip; change the departure city above to update them. Partner sites show live prices, which may differ from our estimates.

San Francisco

Flights from LAXCompare faresThings to doTiqetsCity attraction passGo City

Portugal (Lisbon)

Flights from LAXCompare faresThings to doTiqetseSIM dataAiraloAirport transferWelcome Pickups

San Francisco vs Lisbon cost breakdown: where the money goes

Midpoint of each estimate range, 2 adults, 7 nights, flying from Los Angeles (LAX). Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Round-trip flights from Los Angeles

San Francisco ≈ $70
Lisbon ≈ $2,640

Lodging

San Francisco ≈ $1,650
Lisbon ≈ $1,050

Food & drink

San Francisco ≈ $1,190
Lisbon ≈ $670

Local transport

San Francisco ≈ $260
Lisbon ≈ $160

Activities

San Francisco ≈ $560
Lisbon ≈ $350

The verdict: is Lisbon cheaper than San Francisco?

San Francisco comes out about $1,150 cheaper for 2 adults at the midpoint. (from Los Angeles, sample estimate, not live pricing)

Essentially a tie from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle and Chicago. From Phoenix and Dallas, Lisbon pulls ahead by roughly $350–$450, and from New York, with its cheaper transatlantic fares and a long cross-country flight to SFO, by about $900. San Francisco's flight is short and cheap, but its hotels and restaurants are expensive; Lisbon's transatlantic fare is high, but rooms and meals cost far less. Pick on vibe: wine country and Golden Gate views, or pastel de nata, fado and old-world history.

San Francisco vs Lisbon: common questions

Answers use flights from Los Angeles unless a city is named; see the table above for every departure city.

Is Lisbon cheaper than San Francisco?

No. Flying from Los Angeles, San Francisco comes out about $1,150 cheaper for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $3,730 vs ≈ $4,860 all-in, flights included). Lisbon is cheaper from 1 of the 8 US departure cities we cover (New York), by about $850. San Francisco is cheaper from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas and Seattle, by $600–$1,150. It's roughly even from Chicago. These are midpoints of our sample estimates, not live prices.

Is Lisbon cheaper than San Francisco from New York?

Yes. Flying from New York, Lisbon comes out about $850 cheaper for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $3,440 vs ≈ $4,290 all-in, flights included).

How much does a week in Lisbon cost for two?

About $3,641–$6,080 all-in (midpoint ≈ $4,860, ≈ $2,430 per person) for 7 nights for 2 adults with round-trip flights from Los Angeles: flights $2,066–$3,210, lodging $770–$1,330, food & drink $490–$840, local transport $105–$210, activities $210–$490. The same week in San Francisco runs about $2,681–$4,774.

How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Lisbon?

About 11 hr nonstop (seasonal), or 13+ hr with a stop. For comparison, San Francisco: about 1.5 hr nonstop (many LA travelers drive ~6 hr instead).

When is the best time to visit San Francisco or Lisbon?

San Francisco: September–October has the warmest, clearest weather; summer is often foggy and cool. Lisbon: March–May and September–October. April and January tend to have the lowest fares; June–August the highest.

Sources, notes & assumptions

Flight ranges come from typical round-trip economy fares that fare-search sites (KAYAK, Google Flights, Priceline, momondo, Expedia, airline fare pages) published for each route from each departure city we cover (currently Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Seattle, Chicago and New York), viewed October 2026. Lodging uses published hotel averages where we found them (Engine's August 2026 US city averages; Budget Your Trip traveler averages abroad), adjusted to a mid-range room; otherwise it is an editor estimate. Daily food, local transport and activity budgets are editor estimates for a mid-range couple; where a Budget Your Trip average exists we set the range around it, but the range bounds are our own judgment and have not been verified against a single published source. Ski lift tickets use published 2025/26 (or 2026/27) resort prices; euro and yen prices are converted at editor-assumed exchange rates. Taxes, resort fees, baggage fees and tips may not be fully included. Flight ranges marked "airline fare data from our flight search partner" in the sources update automatically from cached round-trip economy fares that travelers recently found through our flight search partner, for departures about 1–4 months out (low = the cheapest fare found, high = roughly the 75th percentile). Routes without enough fresh data keep their previous published-fare range.

San Francisco

Last checked: 2026-11-08

Engine's Aug 2026 average for San Francisco is ~$165/night (cheapest public rate); range assumes a mid-range room in a central neighborhood, which typically costs more.

Portugal (Lisbon)

Last checked: 2026-11-08

Lodging assumes a 3–4 star central hotel; one comparison site reports 4-star Lisbon hotels averaging about €92/night, and peak-season rates run higher.

Assumptions: economy fares, 1 mid-range room, 7 nights and 7 days of spending, 2 adults. Passports, travel insurance, checked-bag fees and souvenirs aren't included unless noted. Found a better number? Tell us.

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