Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelos and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,190 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Barcelos versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Barcelos $1,190
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Barcelos versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Barcelos $1,885
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,579 in Barcelos versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Barcelos $2,579
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Barcelos costs roughly 46% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelos is 12% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.09 €9.86

$16.50 €14.67

-32.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.16 €42.84

$61.3 €54.5

-21.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 €7.87

$11.27 €10.03

-21.47%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$3.06 €2.72

-39.87%

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

$1.93 €1.72

$2.26 €2.01

-14.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.73 €1.54

-23.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.39 €3.02

-0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.52

$3.40 €3.02

-16.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.12 €1.00

-0.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.86 €1.65

-0.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.53 €1.36

16.99%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.94

$3.96 €3.53

-16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$12.76 €11.35

-6.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$7.90 €7.02

1.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$16.97 €15.09

-12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.27 €2.02

-12.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.75 €1.55

-21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.85 €1.64

0.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.57 €2.28

-1.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.86 €1.65

-7.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.63

$2.02 €1.80

-8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.44 €1.28

6.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.82 €0.73

18.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.84

$6.56 €5.83

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 €4.08

$5.62 €5.00

-18.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.05

$1.28 €1.14

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.07 €1.84

6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.35 €2.09

-2.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.15 €19.70

$44.18 €39.30

-49.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.99 €3.55

7.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.09 €0.97

31.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.25 €14.46

$16.64 €14.81

-2.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.28 €2.03

-5.70%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$33.7K €30.0K

-1.44%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$39.3K €35.0K

-3.70%

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

$111 €98.8

$167 €149

-33.70%

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

$17.73 €15.77

$18.80 €16.72

-5.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.28 €39.39

$33.09 €29.43

33.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.52 €34.27

$46.01 €40.93

-16.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 €5.84

$19.19 €17.07

-65.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.12 €8.11

$9.84 €8.75

-7.32%

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

$339 €302

$677 €602

-49.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,374 €5,670

$16.9K €15.1K

-62.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$101 €90.1

-28.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.75 €33.58

$45.76 €40.70

-17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 €70.0

$100.0 €88.9

-21.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.4

$123 €109

-14.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €439

$1,614 €1,436

-69.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 €318

$1,197 €1,065

-70.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$2,862 €2,545

-68.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 €619

$1,990 €1,770

-65.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,651 €2,358

$7,577 €6,740

-65.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,510 €1,343

$4,307 €3,831

-64.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 €954

$1,588 €1,412

-32.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

3.85

-3.90%

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

Last update for Barcelos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelos

$357 30%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 235% $840

Groceries & Markets

Barcelos

$255 21.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 5.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelos

$173 14.6%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 26.8% $46

Eating Out

Barcelos

$173 14.5%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 40.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelos

$132 11.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 25.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelos

$57 4.8%

Lisbon

$66 3% 15.7% $8.9

Getting Around

Barcelos

$43 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 47.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Barcelos and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 48% 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: $48.00 in Barcelos vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $269 per month, with Barcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

Same time as Barcelos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,766

545,923 Capital

💱 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

Barcelos vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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: $494 in Barcelos versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barcelos 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 Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.