Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guarulhos
🇧🇷 Brazil
$964
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Guarulhos $964
  • Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $1,764 per month in Guarulhos vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Guarulhos $1,764
  • Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Guarulhos vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Guarulhos $2,565
  • Lisbon $4,346

Guarulhos is about 56% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Guarulhos sits 29% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.69 R$44.06
$17.04 €15.15
-49.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.01 R$203
$62.3 €55.4
-35.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.00 R$45.61
$11.02 €9.80
-18.33%
Cappuccino
$2.46 R$12.50
$3.12 €2.78
-21.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 R$6.82
$2.27 €2.02
-40.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 R$4.37
$1.74 €1.55
-50.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 R$12.39
$3.42 €3.04
-28.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 R$19.65
$3.74 €3.33
3.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 R$5.32
$1.17 €1.04
-10.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 R$9.52
$1.86 €1.66
1.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 R$6.76
$1.54 €1.37
-13.64%
Eggs
$2.46 R$12.47
$4.06 €3.61
-39.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.61 R$63.9
$12.91 €11.49
-2.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.79 R$24.27
$7.90 €7.03
-39.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.70 R$54.3
$17.64 €15.69
-39.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.38 R$12.07
$2.26 €2.01
5.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.72 R$8.71
$1.75 €1.55
-1.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R$7.74
$1.89 €1.68
-19.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 R$7.76
$2.56 €2.27
-40.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R$6.40
$1.85 €1.64
-31.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R$6.00
$1.97 €1.75
-40.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 R$4.97
$1.45 €1.29
-32.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 R$4.32
$0.77 €0.69
10.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.49 R$12.65
$6.71 €5.97
-62.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.88 R$50.1
$5.67 €5.04
74.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 R$7.62
$1.37 €1.22
9.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 R$12.64
$2.11 €1.88
18.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 R$6.30
$2.32 €2.07
-46.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 R$532
$44.43 €39.52
136.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 R$5.94
$3.95 €3.51
-70.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.72 R$3.64
$1.05 €0.93
-31.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.49 R$43.03
$17.15 €15.26
-50.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R$6.50
$2.19 €1.95
-41.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.6K R$119.5K
$33.8K €30.0K
-30.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.2K R$173.5K
$38.3K €34.0K
-10.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.6 R$465
$164 €146
-44.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.98 R$75.9
$18.48 €16.43
-18.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.33 R$113
$32.96 €29.32
-32.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.22 R$143
$45.87 €40.80
-38.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.05 R$50.9
$9.75 €8.67
3.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$429 R$2,173
$684 €608
-37.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K R$56.0K
$17.6K €15.7K
-37.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.1 R$330
$104 €92.3
-37.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 R$289
$46.20 €41.09
23.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.2 R$467
$99.7 €88.7
-7.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.5 R$403
$125 €111
-36.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$349 R$1,770
$1,589 €1,414
-78.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$158 R$801
$1,169 €1,040
-86.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 R$5,042
$2,851 €2,536
-65.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$768 R$3,895
$1,993 €1,773
-61.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,944 R$9,855
$7,793 €6,932
-75.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,480 R$7,502
$4,418 €3,930
-66.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guarulhos
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$378 R$1,914
$1,600 €1,423
-76.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.25
3.85
192.21%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Guarulhos
$227
Lisbon
$273 20.4% $46
Accommodation & Living
Guarulhos
$158
Lisbon
$1.2K 640% $1K
Eating Out
Guarulhos
$155
Lisbon
$247 59.8% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Guarulhos
$132
Lisbon
$168 27.4% $36
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guarulhos
$129
Lisbon
$215 66.9% $86
Getting Around
Guarulhos
$115
Lisbon
$63 45.1% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Guarulhos
$48
Lisbon
$65 35.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 324% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $273 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Guarulhos
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
10:19 10:19 AM
14:19 2:19 PM
4 h ahead of Guarulhos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,291,771
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guarulhos Lisbon 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Guarulhos
  • Lisbon

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
Guarulhos vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Guarulhos or Lisbon?
Lisbon costs about 128% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Guarulhos and in Lisbon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,446 per month in Guarulhos and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Guarulhos or Lisbon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Guarulhos and in Lisbon?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Guarulhos and $62.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Guarulhos compared to Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $964 in Guarulhos and $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 128%.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Guarulhos or in Lisbon?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Guarulhos or Lisbon?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Guarulhos compared to Lisbon?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Guarulhos or to Lisbon?
If budget matters most, go with Guarulhos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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