Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braga and Cascais

For one person, living is cheaper in Braga: $1,631 a month against $2,351 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Braga
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Braga Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index

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Braga

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,631

/mo nomad

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Braga and in Cascais

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Braga and in Cascais actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,631 in Braga versus $2,351 in Cascais.

Braga $1,631
Cascais $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,319 in Braga versus $3,777 in Cascais.

Braga $2,319
Cascais $3,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,008 in Braga versus $5,204 in Cascais.

Braga $3,008
Cascais $5,204

Living in Braga costs roughly 31% less than in Cascais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Braga 20% above, Cascais 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.66 €10.45

$15.86 €14.21

-26.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 €43.39

$44.62 €39.99

8.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 €8.15

$9.49 €8.50

-4.21%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.77

$2.69 €2.41

-26.39%

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

$2.10 €1.89

$2.16 €1.94

-2.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.21 €1.98

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.03

$3.30 €2.96

2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.30

$5.49 €4.92

-53.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.31 €1.17

-20.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.30 €2.06

-23.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

Eggs

$3.22 €2.89

$3.32 €2.97

-3.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 €8.65

$10.79 €9.67

-10.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.08

$7.02 €6.29

12.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 €13.35

$15.08 €13.52

-1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 €2.18

$2.84 €2.54

-14.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.51 €1.35

-7.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.55 €2.28

-29.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$2.25 €2.01

27.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.56 €1.40

22.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.29 €2.05

-11.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.71 €1.53

-20.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.06 €0.95

-7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €6.00

$5.70 €5.11

17.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.89 €4.38

$7.73 €6.93

-36.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.27 €1.14

-7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.40

$4.42 €3.96

-64.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.19 €1.96

-20.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 €20.22

$45.02 €40.34

-49.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.77

$2.21 €1.98

90.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.47

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.81 €15.06

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.06 €1.85

8.25%

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

$34.1K €30.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

-0.38%

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

$37.6K €33.6K

$38.0K €34.0K

-1.16%

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

$106 €94.9

$134 €120

-20.71%

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

$17.15 €15.37

$24.90 €22.31

-31.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.37 €39.76

$56.0 €50.2

-20.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.79 €40.14

$42.84 €38.39

4.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.29 €11.90

$11.36 €10.18

16.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 €7.97

$7.12 €6.38

25.00%

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

$302 €271

$839 €752

-63.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,138 €8,188

$18.6K €16.7K

-50.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 €61.9

$77.5 €69.4

-10.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.61 €34.60

$37.50 €33.60

2.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 €75.3

$105 €93.9

-19.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.7

$136 €122

-24.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 €889

$1,859 €1,666

-46.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 €715

$1,358 €1,217

-41.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 €1,327

$4,213 €3,776

-64.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €996

$3,032 €2,717

-63.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,616 €2,344

$7,644 €6,850

-65.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,031 €1,820

$5,128 €4,596

-60.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,241 €1,112

$2,246 €2,013

-44.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.47

3.67

-5.45%

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

Last update for Braga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cascais: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braga

$798 49%

Cascais

$1.4K 57.8% 70.1% $560

Groceries & Markets

Braga

$248 15.2%

Cascais

$273 11.6% 9.9% $25

Eating Out

Braga

$179 11%

Cascais

$233 9.9% 29.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braga

$167 10.3%

Cascais

$214 9.1% 28.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Braga

$133 8.1%

Cascais

$160 6.8% 20.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Braga

$63 3.8%

Cascais

$57 2.4% 8.8% $5.5

Getting Around

Braga

$42 2.6%

Cascais

$56 * 2.4% 33.4% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $992 in Braga and $1,859 in Cascais. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Braga vs $45 in Cascais. Groceries flip the comparison at $248 vs $273, with Braga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Braga

🇵🇹 Cascais

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

Same time as Braga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,349

214,158

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Braga Cascais 330 km

From you

Braga
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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

Braga vs Cascais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,631 in Braga and $2,351 in Cascais, so Braga is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Braga. 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: $992 in Braga versus $1,859 in Cascais. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $302 in Braga versus $839 in Cascais. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Cascais. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Braga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Braga wins on affordability, Cascais on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.