Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Macaé

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $887 in Macaé.

Lisbon $2,202
Macaé $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,495 in Macaé.

Lisbon $3,274
Macaé $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,102 in Macaé.

Lisbon $4,346
Macaé $2,102

Living in Lisbon is roughly 148% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Macaé is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$5.43 R$27.54

213.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$29.78 R$151

109.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$6.91 R$35.00

59.48%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.72 R$8.73

81.40%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.39 R$7.04

63.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.63 R$3.18

176.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.21 R$6.16

182.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.79 R$14.16

34.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.96 R$4.85

21.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.56 R$7.91

19.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.38 R$6.99

11.59%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.94 R$9.85

109.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.12 R$46.21

41.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.34 R$16.92

136.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$9.69 R$49.10

82.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.86 R$9.40

21.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.20 R$6.11

45.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.96 R$4.85

96.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.23 R$6.21

108.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.64 R$3.23

189.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.81 R$4.09

143.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.54 R$2.73

168.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.52 R$2.64

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$1.56 R$7.88

330.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.09 R$30.86

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.95 R$4.82

44.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.25 R$6.35

68.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.61 R$8.16

44.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$83.9 R$425

-47.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.41 R$7.14

180.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.79 R$4.03

32.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.92 R$40.16

116.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.29 R$6.53

69.77%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$21.5K R$109.0K

57.10%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$31.2K R$158.2K

22.65%

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

$164 €146

$100.0 R$507

63.89%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$10.21 R$51.7

81.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$18.76 R$95.1

75.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$39.82 R$202

15.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$34.04 R$173

-45.12%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.79 R$34.44

43.59%

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

$684 €608

$648 R$3,283

5.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$7,012 R$35.5K

151.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$63.1 R$320

64.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$32.02 R$162

44.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$66.9 R$339

49.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$46.66 R$237

167.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$370 R$1,873

330.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$241 R$1,221

385.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$886 R$4,490

221.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$669 R$3,392

197.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,270 R$6,436

513.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$800 R$4,054

452.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$799 R$4,049

100.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.67

-63.92%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Macaé

$241 27.2% 79.4% $928

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Macaé

$169 19.1% 38% $104

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Macaé

$105 11.8% 57.7% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 40.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Macaé

$94 10.6% 44.3% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Macaé

$53 6% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 52.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $370 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 100% 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 $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $169 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

17:03 5:03 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

246,391

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Macaé 7,600 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Macaé differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $887 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 100% 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 $370 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $648 in Macaé. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $887 in Macaé versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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 Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.