Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $877 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Belem

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $877 in Belem.

Lisbon $2,210
Belem $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,329 in Belem.

Lisbon $3,275
Belem $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,781 in Belem.

Lisbon $4,341
Belem $1,781

Living in Lisbon is roughly 152% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Belem is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$4.66 R$25.35

257.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$18.25 R$99.3

238.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.54 R$35.60

73.70%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.72 R$9.38

72.67%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.99 R$5.40

131.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.44 R$2.38

295.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.50 R$8.19

126.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.17 R$11.83

52.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.29 R$6.99

-10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.33 R$12.67

-18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.25 R$6.77

20.80%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.98 R$10.79

103.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$8.44 R$45.93

53.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$4.12 R$22.39

88.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$7.25 R$39.42

144.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.24 R$12.18

2.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.32 R$7.19

31.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.39 R$7.56

33.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.56 R$8.46

66.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.97 R$5.27

87.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.54 R$2.92

264.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.26 R$6.88

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.37 R$7.44

-47.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.45 R$13.34

168.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.32 R$50.7

-39.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.33 R$7.26

2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.52 R$24.61

-52.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.90 R$4.90

158.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$31.93 R$174

39.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.10 R$5.99

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.10 R$5.96

-2.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$7.92 R$43.10

107.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.15 R$6.28

91.30%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$21.8K R$118.7K

56.65%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$30.0K R$163.3K

28.99%

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

$161 €144

$93.5 R$509

72.41%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$10.82 R$58.9

70.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$29.78 R$162

9.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$20.33 R$111

119.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$36.96 R$201

-48.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.46 R$40.58

28.69%

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

$668 €598

$104 R$567

541.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,250 R$17.7K

442.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$30.81 R$168

231.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$41.86 R$228

6.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$75.6 R$411

30.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$61.4 R$334

101.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$503 R$2,738

219.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$267 R$1,451

346.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$837 R$4,555

235.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$485 R$2,640

314.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$1,865 R$10.1K

320.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,302 R$7,081

251.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$386 R$2,101

307.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.48

-66.46%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Belem

$267 30.4% 77.6% $923

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Belem

$209 23.8% 23.3% $63

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Belem

$95 10.9% 60.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Belem

$134 15.3% 36.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Belem

$94 10.8% 43.1% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Belem

$35 4% 44.7% $28

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Belem

$42 4.8% 33.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $503 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $18 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $209 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

23:21 11:21 PM

20:21 8:21 PM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Belem 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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

Lisbon vs Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $503 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 29% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $104 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $877 in Belem versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Belem 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.

Expats usually find Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.