Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $724 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Contagem

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $724 in Contagem, rent included.

Lisbon $2,206
Contagem $724

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $1,164 in Contagem, rent included.

Lisbon $3,276
Contagem $1,164

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $1,605 in Contagem, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Contagem $1,605

Lisbon costs about 205% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 63% above the global median, while Contagem is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$5.54 R$30.39

204.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$27.69 R$152

120.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

$6.65 R$36.51

65.11%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.63 R$8.94

87.12%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.28 R$7.00

78.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.58 R$3.16

189.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$1.22 R$6.68

181.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.28 R$12.51

71.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.88 R$4.80

30.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.61 R$8.85

17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.28 R$7.02

17.19%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$1.87 R$10.28

120.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$8.96 R$49.16

45.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$3.14 R$17.25

156.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$7.17 R$39.36

149.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.82 R$9.98

24.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.15 R$6.29

51.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.90 R$4.92

102.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.51 R$8.30

78.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.04 R$5.71

70.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.99 R$5.42

95.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.74 R$4.07

97.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.72 R$3.93

5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

$1.48 R$8.13

350.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$5.47 R$30.05

3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.90 R$4.94

43.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.32 R$7.27

62.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.38 R$7.59

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

$72.7 R$399

-39.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.04 R$5.70

282.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.82 R$4.48

-21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

$5.82 R$31.92

225.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.16 R$6.37

96.55%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$21.8K R$119.7K

53.07%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$29.5K R$162.2K

30.33%

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

$158 €141

$70.5 R$387

124.32%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$9.22 R$50.6

90.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$17.33 R$95.1

79.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

$24.57 R$135

81.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

$22.42 R$123

-15.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

$6.80 R$37.31

40.88%

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

$674 €601

$136 R$744

396.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$2,460 R$13.5K

661.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$55.4 R$304

84.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

$44.74 R$246

2.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$62.5 R$343

63.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$44.16 R$242

176.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

$208 R$1,139

690.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

$147 R$804

710.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

$433 R$2,375

552.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

$305 R$1,673

561.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

$1,863 R$10.2K

320.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

$922 R$5,059

410.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

$237 R$1,300

612.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

10.67

-64.20%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Contagem: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Contagem

$147 20.3% 87.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Contagem

$163 22.6% 40.4% $111

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Contagem

$102 14.1% 58.5% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Contagem

$97 13.4% 53.1% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Contagem

$93 12.9% 44.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Contagem

$38 5.3% 40.2% $26

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Contagem

$83 11.5% 38% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $208 in Contagem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Lisbon versus $28 in Contagem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $163 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

621,863

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Contagem 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 205%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $1,085 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contagem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $674 per month in Lisbon and $136 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Lisbon at $2,206. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Contagem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Contagem. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.