Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Fortaleza

For one person, living is cheaper in Fortaleza: $872 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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 Fortaleza
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Fortaleza Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Fortaleza

🇧🇷 Brazil

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Fortaleza

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $872 in Fortaleza, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Fortaleza $872

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,391 in Fortaleza, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Fortaleza $1,391

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,909 in Fortaleza, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Fortaleza $1,909

Lisbon costs about 153% more than Fortaleza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Fortaleza is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$5.67 R$30.32

193.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$27.52 R$147

124.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.49 R$40.09

51.67%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.18 R$11.69

36.24%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.08 R$5.75

112.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.64 R$3.40

171.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.09 R$11.19

62.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.78 R$20.21

-12.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.11 R$5.94

4.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.87 R$10.02

2.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.12 R$6.00

34.82%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.65 R$8.85

143.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$7.19 R$38.48

79.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$3.84 R$20.57

102.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$8.71 R$46.62

103.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.72 R$14.58

-15.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.31 R$6.99

32.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$0.76 R$4.07

144.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.70 R$9.12

52.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.19 R$6.34

52.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.00 R$5.38

97.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.93 R$4.97

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.98 R$5.24

-26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$2.06 R$11.00

219.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.52 R$34.91

-13.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.39 R$7.42

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.48 R$7.92

44.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.97 R$5.22

140.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$45.47 R$243

-1.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.26 R$6.76

205.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.78 R$4.18

37.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$6.99 R$37.43

135.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.25 R$6.71

76.00%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$22.2K R$118.5K

54.34%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$31.1K R$166.3K

24.63%

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

$161 €145

$114 R$611

41.21%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$10.10 R$54.0

82.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$19.69 R$105

66.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$23.72 R$127

87.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$39.82 R$213

-52.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$7.31 R$39.09

31.33%

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

$668 €600

$199 R$1,064

235.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,707 R$19.8K

375.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$60.2 R$322

69.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$56.6 R$303

-21.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$119 R$636

-17.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$64.4 R$345

92.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$307 R$1,645

423.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$197 R$1,053

504.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$546 R$2,919

415.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$432 R$2,310

366.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$2,356 R$12.6K

232.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$1,270 R$6,798

260.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$460 R$2,463

242.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.38

-66.17%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Fortaleza: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Fortaleza

$197 22.6% 83.5% $993

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Fortaleza

$185 21.2% 32.1% $87

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Fortaleza

$119 13.6% 51% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Fortaleza

$144 16.5% 32.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Fortaleza

$135 15.5% 18.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Fortaleza

$38 4.4% 39.9% $25

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Fortaleza

$55 6.3% 13.7% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $307 in Fortaleza. 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 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $28 in Fortaleza. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $185 – making Fortaleza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Fortaleza

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,428,708

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Fortaleza 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Fortaleza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 153% more than Fortaleza, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,308 in Fortaleza. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fortaleza, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $307 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $28 in Fortaleza. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $872 in Fortaleza. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fortaleza costs $872 versus $2,210 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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