Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Portugal

Name: Portugal
Address: PT

For one person, living is cheaper in Portugal: $1,742 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Italy despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,742 in Portugal.

Italy $1,843
Portugal $1,742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $2,557 in Portugal.

Italy $2,816
Portugal $2,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $3,373 in Portugal.

Italy $3,788
Portugal $3,373

Italy ($1,038–$2,555) 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 Italy is roughly 6% more expensive than in Portugal on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 35% above, Portugal 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.32

$13.36 €11.96

53.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$49.94 €44.73

59.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$9.87 €8.84

12.97%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$2.13 €1.90

-4.23%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$1.98 €1.77

56.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.33 €1.20

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$2.87 €2.57

91.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.31 €2.97

73.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.08 €0.97

45.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.58 €1.41

50.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.56 €1.40

85.90%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$3.33 €2.98

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.62

$11.37 €10.18

53.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$7.72 €6.91

62.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.06

$15.09 €13.52

33.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.19 €1.96

17.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.46 €1.31

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.82 €1.63

47.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$2.38 €2.13

37.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.73 €1.55

9.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.91 €1.71

-4.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.48 €1.33

6.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.73 €0.66

-24.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$6.27 €5.62

6.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.15

$5.42 €4.85

47.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.30 €1.17

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.22 €1.99

5.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.29 €2.05

-16.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.90

$43.82 €39.24

-0.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$3.83 €3.43

46.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.08 €0.97

58.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.12

$17.04 €15.26

97.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.04 €1.83

-0.49%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$33.0K €29.6K

6.89%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$37.8K €33.8K

-2.76%

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

$227 €203

$133 €119

70.29%

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

$11.59 €10.38

$20.11 €18.01

-42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.21

$40.38 €36.16

-24.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.37

$41.96 €37.58

23.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.22

$15.82 €14.17

49.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$8.70 €7.79

21.84%

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

$568 €508

$484 €434

17.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$11.6K €10.4K

-0.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$87.1 €78.0

3.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.53

$39.82 €35.66

-3.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$89.1 €79.8

15.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$103 €92.0

27.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €739

$1,060 €949

-22.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$839 €751

-22.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,254

$1,793 €1,606

-21.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$1,341 €1,201

-21.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,280

$4,099 €3,671

-10.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,061

$2,921 €2,616

-21.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$1,331 €1,192

41.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.73

-4.56%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Portugal

$839 48.2% 29.8% $192

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Portugal

$249 14.3% 28.6% $99

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Portugal

$196 11.3% 29.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Portugal

$194 11.1% 27.9% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Portugal

$143 8.2% 12.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Portugal

$59 3.4% 18.7% $14

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Portugal

$62 3.6% 4.7% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $972 in Portugal. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $1,608 in Lisbon.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $1,283 in Portugal. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 33% higher in Portugal.

Dining out costs 52% more in Italy.

Salaries are 47% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇵🇹 Portugal

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

1 h behind Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

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

Italy Portugal 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Portugal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,742 in Portugal, Portugal comes out about 5% 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.