Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Braga

For one person, living is cheaper in Braga: $1,555 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Braga
Learn more

Braga Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Braga

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Braga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,555 in Braga.

Lisbon $2,202
Braga $1,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,247 in Braga.

Lisbon $3,274
Braga $2,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,939 in Braga.

Lisbon $4,346
Braga $2,939

Living in Lisbon is roughly 42% more expensive than in Braga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Braga 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$11.24 €10.00

51.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$48.33 €42.99

28.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.08 €8.07

21.37%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.84 €1.63

69.57%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.16 €1.92

5.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.19 €1.06

46.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.38 €3.01

1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.20 €1.95

70.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.07 €0.95

9.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.12 €1.88

-12.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.78 €1.59

-13.48%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.37 €3.00

20.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.50 €8.45

35.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.89 €7.01

0.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.77 €13.14

19.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.30 €2.04

-1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.40 €1.25

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.80 €1.60

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.77 €2.47

-7.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.02 €1.79

-8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.92 €1.71

2.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.17 €1.04

23.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.91 €0.81

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.37 €5.67

5.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$4.37 €3.89

29.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.24 €1.10

10.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.60 €1.43

31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.79 €1.59

29.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$22.09 €19.65

101.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.28 €3.81

-7.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.77 €1.58

-40.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$16.32 €14.52

5.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.14 €1.91

2.34%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$33.1K €29.4K

2.11%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$37.3K €33.2K

2.64%

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

$164 €146

$108 €96.1

51.68%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$17.45 €15.52

5.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$45.36 €40.35

-27.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$45.83 €40.76

0.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$12.86 €11.44

45.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.00 €8.00

8.33%

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

$684 €608

$334 €298

104.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$10.1K €9,005

74.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$67.0 €59.6

54.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$36.82 €32.75

25.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$82.6 €73.5

20.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$98.8 €87.8

26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$915 €813

73.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$726 €646

60.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,414 €1,258

101.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,056 €939

88.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,487 €2,212

213.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,905 €1,695

131.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,284 €1,142

24.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.55

8.45%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Braga: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Braga

$726 46.7% 37.9% $443

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Braga

$249 16% 8.7% $24

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Braga

$174 11.2% 29.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Braga

$171 11% 20.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Braga

$128 8.3% 23.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Braga

$64 4.1% 2.4% $1.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Braga

$42 2.7% 32.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $915 in Braga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 25% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $48.00 in Braga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $249 per month, with Braga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Braga

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

193,349

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Braga 320 km

From you

Lisbon
Braga

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 Braga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Braga differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,555 including rent). Braga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $915 in Braga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $334 in Braga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,555 in Braga versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Braga but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Braga 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Braga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Braga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.