Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Portugal

Name: Portugal
Address: PT

For one person, living is cheaper in Portugal: $1,742 a month against $2,080 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,080

/mo nomad

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany and in Portugal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Germany versus $1,742 in Portugal.

Germany $2,080
Portugal $1,742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Germany versus $2,557 in Portugal.

Germany $3,130
Portugal $2,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Germany versus $3,373 in Portugal.

Germany $4,180
Portugal $3,373

Germany ($1,337–$2,681) and Portugal ($1,014–$2,351) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Germany is roughly 19% more expensive than in Portugal on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 53% above, Portugal 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.87

$13.36 €11.96

24.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €64.3

$49.94 €44.73

43.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.86

$9.87 €8.84

22.80%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$2.13 €1.90

85.92%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$1.98 €1.77

69.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.59

$1.33 €1.20

117.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.54

$2.87 €2.57

76.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.03

$3.31 €2.97

35.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.08 €0.97

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.58 €1.41

39.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.17

$1.56 €1.40

126.92%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.48

$3.33 €2.98

16.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 €12.75

$11.37 €10.18

25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 €10.66

$7.72 €6.91

54.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.68 €18.52

$15.09 €13.52

37.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.19 €1.96

49.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.46 €1.31

40.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.82 €1.63

26.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.84

$2.38 €2.13

80.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.73 €1.55

-11.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.91 €1.71

-21.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.48 €1.33

10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.73 €0.66

39.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 €8.68

$6.27 €5.62

54.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.38

$5.42 €4.85

10.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.30 €1.17

-13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.22 €1.99

-29.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.85 €3.44

$2.29 €2.05

68.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 €62.4

$43.82 €39.24

59.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.78

$3.83 €3.43

39.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 €2.51

$1.08 €0.97

160.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.83 €34.78

$17.04 €15.26

127.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.04 €1.83

4.41%

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

$32.6K €29.2K

$33.0K €29.6K

-1.44%

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

$37.7K €33.8K

$37.8K €33.8K

-0.14%

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

$342 €306

$133 €119

157.13%

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

$24.87 €22.27

$20.11 €18.01

23.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.49 €43.43

$40.38 €36.16

20.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 €35.30

$41.96 €37.58

-6.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 €24.61

$15.82 €14.17

73.64%

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 €13.12

$8.70 €7.79

68.39%

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

$611 €547

$484 €434

26.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K €15.5K

$11.6K €10.4K

48.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.8

$87.1 €78.0

2.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.07 €37.67

$39.82 €35.66

5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €88.0

$89.1 €79.8

10.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$103 €92.0

27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 €837

$1,060 €949

-11.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 €643

$839 €751

-14.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,526

$1,793 €1,606

-4.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,159

$1,341 €1,201

-3.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,944 €5,323

$4,099 €3,671

45.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,958 €3,545

$2,921 €2,616

35.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,290 €2,946

$1,331 €1,192

147.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.73

6.17%

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

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$718 34.6%

Portugal

$839 48.2% 16.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$415 20%

Portugal

$194 11.1% 53.4% $222

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.1%

Portugal

$249 14.3% 25.8% $86

Eating Out

Germany

$276 13.3%

Portugal

$196 11.3% 28.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$162 7.8%

Portugal

$143 8.2% 11.5% $19

Getting Around

Germany

$104 5%

Portugal

$62 3.6% 40.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$69 3.3%

Portugal

$59 3.4% 13.6% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $812 in Germany, $972 in Portugal. Capital cities: $1,407 in Berlin vs $1,608 in Lisbon.

National salary averages: $3,107 in Germany, $1,283 in Portugal. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 20% higher in Portugal.

Dining out costs 48% more in Germany.

Public transport is 74% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇵🇹 Portugal

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

10:43 10:43 AM

1 h behind Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

10,347,892

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Germany Portugal 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Germany
Portugal

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

Germany vs Portugal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,080 per month in Germany and $1,742 in Portugal, Portugal comes out about 16% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Portugal: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

It depends on what you’re after: Portugal wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.