Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Barbacena

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $798 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Barbacena, Brazil
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Barbacena
🇧🇷 Brazil
$798
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Barbacena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $798 in Barbacena.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Barbacena $798

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,216 in Barbacena.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Barbacena $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,634 in Barbacena.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Barbacena $1,634

Living in Lisbon is roughly 177% more expensive than in Barbacena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Barbacena is 41% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$5.08 R$27.15
227.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$19.42 R$104
217.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$5.72 R$30.56
98.60%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$1.55 R$8.29
91.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$1.42 R$7.59
61.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.80 R$4.29
117.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$1.22 R$6.55
178.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.00 R$10.70
65.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.07 R$5.70
8.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$1.99 R$10.62
-4.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.17 R$6.28
29.06%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$2.21 R$11.82
81.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$10.04 R$53.7
28.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$4.25 R$22.72
82.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$8.98 R$48.01
97.77%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$2.72 R$14.55
-15.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$1.62 R$8.66
6.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$1.47 R$7.88
26.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$1.76 R$9.41
47.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$1.18 R$6.30
54.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$1.01 R$5.39
95.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.70 R$3.77
110.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.62 R$3.30
16.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$2.72 R$14.53
141.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$7.51 R$40.13
-25.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.09 R$5.84
24.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$2.32 R$12.39
-7.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.94 R$5.00
147.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$40.71 R$218
9.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$1.17 R$6.25
229.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.80 R$4.26
33.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$8.52 R$45.56
93.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.21 R$6.49
81.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$21.9K R$116.8K
56.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$32.1K R$171.4K
20.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$125 R$668
29.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$10.19 R$54.5
80.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$21.67 R$116
51.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$22.66 R$121
96.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
$28.16 R$151
-32.17%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$7.61 R$40.71
26.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$552 R$2,952
20.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$12.1K R$64.5K
46.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$39.68 R$212
157.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$45.40 R$243
-2.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$69.3 R$370
42.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$61.9 R$331
99.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$218 R$1,167
637.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$159 R$852
646.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$401 R$2,146
600.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$293 R$1,568
586.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$1,641 R$8,775
377.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$1,139 R$6,088
301.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Barbacena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11.93
-67.73%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barbacena: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Barbacena
$159 86.6% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Barbacena
$201 26.1% $71
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Barbacena
$95 60.7% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Barbacena
$157 26.2% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Barbacena
$97 41.3% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Barbacena
$38 40.6% $26
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Barbacena
$50 21.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $218 in Barbacena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $19 in Barbacena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $201 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇧🇷 Barbacena
🕒 Local time
22:56 10:56 PM
19:56 7:56 PM
3 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
125,317
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Barbacena 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Barbacena

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
Lisbon vs Barbacena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Barbacena?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $798 in Barbacena, so Barbacena is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Barbacena?
You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,196 in Barbacena to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Barbacena?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $218 in Barbacena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Barbacena?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $798 in Barbacena – Barbacena is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Lisbon and in Barbacena?
A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 9% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $798 in Barbacena versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Barbacena?
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.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Barbacena?
Expats usually find Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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