Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braga and Maia

For one person, living is cheaper in Braga: $1,555 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Braga
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Braga Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index

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Braga

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,555

/mo nomad

Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Braga and in Maia

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 Maia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,555 in Braga versus $2,182 in Maia.

Braga $1,555
Maia $2,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,247 in Braga versus $2,718 in Maia.

Braga $2,247
Maia $2,718

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,939 in Braga versus $3,254 in Maia.

Braga $2,939
Maia $3,254

Living in Braga costs roughly 29% less than in Maia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Braga 15% above, Maia 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 €10.00

$11.42 €10.16

-1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.33 €42.99

$50.0 €44.49

-3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 €8.07

$8.88 €7.90

2.25%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$2.00 €1.78

-8.00%

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

$2.16 €1.92

$1.93 €1.71

11.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.45 €1.29

-17.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.23 €1.98

51.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.95

$4.01 €3.57

-45.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.10 €0.98

-2.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.69 €1.50

25.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.53 €1.37

16.34%

Eggs

$3.37 €3.00

$2.89 €2.57

16.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 €8.45

$13.29 €11.82

-28.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 €7.01

$7.93 €7.05

-0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 €13.14

$14.73 €13.10

0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.23 €1.98

3.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.74 €1.55

-19.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.07 €1.84

-13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.33 €2.07

18.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.22 €1.97

-9.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.19 €1.95

-12.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.93 €0.82

25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.10 €0.98

-17.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.37 €5.67

$6.62 €5.89

-3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$4.61 €4.10

-5.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.31 €1.17

-5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.46 €2.19

-34.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.47 €2.20

-27.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.09 €19.65

$44.74 €39.80

-50.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.81

$4.55 €4.04

-5.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.44 €1.28

22.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.32 €14.52

$16.93 €15.06

-3.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.10 €1.87

1.90%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$32.3K €28.7K

2.56%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$38.5K €34.2K

-3.10%

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

$108 €96.1

$106 €94.3

1.84%

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

$17.45 €15.52

$20.07 €17.85

-13.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.36 €40.35

$38.05 €33.84

19.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.83 €40.76

$44.89 €39.93

2.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.86 €11.44

$34.01 €30.25

-62.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 €8.00

$8.65 €7.70

4.05%

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

$334 €298

$439 €390

-23.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,005

$6,437 €5,726

57.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 €59.6

$111 €98.9

-39.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.82 €32.75

$22.04 €19.60

67.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 €73.5

$75.9 €67.5

8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 €87.8

$106 €94.0

-6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 €813

$1,072 €953

-14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$726 €646

$1,313 €1,168

-44.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 €1,258

$1,706 €1,518

-17.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €939

$1,242 €1,105

-15.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,487 €2,212

$3,036 €2,701

-18.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,905 €1,695

$1,673 €1,488

13.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 €1,142

$1,420 €1,263

-9.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

3.7

-4.05%

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

Last update for Braga: October 18, 2026

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braga

$726 46.7%

Maia

$1.3K 60.2% 80.8% $587

Groceries & Markets

Braga

$249 16%

Maia

$259 11.9% 4.1% $10

Eating Out

Braga

$174 11.2%

Maia

$175 8% 0.5% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braga

$171 11%

Maia

$164 7.5% 3.9% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Braga

$128 8.3%

Maia

$142 6.5% 10.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Braga

$64 4.1%

Maia

$62 2.9% 2.6% $1.6

Getting Around

Braga

$42 2.7%

Maia

$66 3% 56.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $915 in Braga and $1,072 in Maia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maia pays 11% 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 Braga vs $50.0 in Maia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $259 per month, with Braga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Braga

🇵🇹 Maia

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

Same time as Braga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,349

134,988

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Braga Maia 39 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 Maia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Braga and Maia differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,555 vs $2,182 including rent). Braga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Maia. 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: $915 in Braga versus $1,072 in Maia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $334 in Braga versus $439 in Maia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Maia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,555 in Braga versus $2,182 in Maia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Braga but tight or insufficient in Maia. The gap between the two cities makes Braga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Maia 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 Braga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Maia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.