Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belem and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $945 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$945

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $945 in Belem versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Belem $945
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Belem versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Belem $1,433
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Belem versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Belem $1,921
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Belem costs roughly 58% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belem is 30% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.15 R$26.09

$16.50 €14.67

-68.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.65 R$99.6

$61.3 €54.5

-67.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 R$35.51

$11.27 €10.02

-37.80%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R$9.91

$3.06 €2.72

-35.95%

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

$1.06 R$5.37

$2.26 €2.01

-53.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.62

$1.73 €1.54

-69.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 R$8.03

$3.39 €3.02

-53.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 R$12.45

$3.40 €3.02

-27.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.78

$1.12 €1.00

19.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 R$12.99

$1.86 €1.65

37.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.53 €1.36

-10.46%

Eggs

$2.26 R$11.44

$3.96 €3.53

-42.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 R$48.38

$12.76 €11.35

-25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.37

$7.90 €7.02

-44.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.49 R$37.99

$16.97 €15.09

-55.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 R$12.30

$2.27 €2.02

7.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.96

$1.75 €1.55

-21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 R$7.63

$1.85 €1.64

-18.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R$8.39

$2.57 €2.28

-35.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.34

$1.86 €1.65

-43.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 R$3.17

$2.02 €1.80

-68.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 R$6.96

$1.44 €1.28

-4.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.22

$0.82 €0.73

73.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.13

$6.56 €5.83

-57.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.87 R$50.0

$5.62 €5.00

75.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 R$7.29

$1.28 €1.14

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 R$24.90

$2.07 €1.84

137.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.44

$2.35 €2.09

-62.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.52 R$175

$44.18 €39.29

-21.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.13

$3.99 €3.55

-69.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 R$6.15

$1.09 €0.97

11.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 R$42.98

$16.64 €14.80

-49.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.41

$2.28 €2.03

-44.30%

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

$23.8K R$120.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

-29.31%

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

$32.4K R$164.2K

$39.3K €34.9K

-17.59%

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

$98.2 R$498

$167 €149

-41.36%

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

$11.49 R$58.3

$18.80 €16.72

-38.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 R$162

$33.09 €29.43

-3.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.12 R$112

$46.01 €40.92

-51.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.81 R$202

$19.19 €17.07

107.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 R$40.73

$9.84 €8.75

-18.29%

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

$115 R$582

$677 €602

-83.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,456 R$17.5K

$16.9K €15.0K

-79.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.60 R$165

$101 €90.0

-67.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.86 R$232

$45.76 €40.70

0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 R$418

$100.0 €88.9

-17.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 R$332

$123 €109

-46.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 R$2,730

$1,614 €1,435

-66.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 R$1,458

$1,197 €1,065

-75.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 R$4,469

$2,862 €2,545

-69.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 R$2,650

$1,990 €1,770

-73.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 R$10.2K

$7,577 €6,739

-73.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,434 R$7,271

$4,307 €3,831

-66.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$424 R$2,151

$1,588 €1,412

-73.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

3.85

198.18%

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

Last update for Belem: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belem

$288 30.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 316% $909

Groceries & Markets

Belem

$225 23.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 19.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belem

$142 15%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 54.9% $78

Eating Out

Belem

$105 11.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 131% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Belem

$102 10.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 63.3% $64

Getting Around

Belem

$45 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 39.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Belem

$38 4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 72% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $538 in Belem and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 274% 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 Belem vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $269 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belem

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

4 h ahead of Belem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,303,403

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BRL in detail →

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Between locations

Belem Lisbon 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Belem
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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

Belem vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 135% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 274% 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: $538 in Belem versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 28% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $115 in Belem versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $945 in Belem versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belem 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, Belem 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 Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.