Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $740 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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 Paulista
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Paulista Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Paulista

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $740 in Paulista.

Lisbon $2,206
Paulista $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,147 in Paulista.

Lisbon $3,276
Paulista $1,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,554 in Paulista.

Lisbon $4,346
Paulista $1,554

Living in Lisbon is roughly 198% more expensive than in Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Paulista is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$6.67 R$36.60

152.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$14.68 R$80.6

315.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$7.55 R$41.42

45.43%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.49 R$8.15

104.70%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.98 R$5.35

132.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.38 R$2.10

342.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.73 R$9.48

98.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$3.25 R$17.86

20.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.97 R$5.33

18.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.69 R$9.25

11.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.96 R$5.26

56.25%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.00 R$10.99

106.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$2.68 R$14.70

385.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$2.86 R$15.68

181.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$5.33 R$29.27

235.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.91 R$10.46

18.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.92 R$5.06

89.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.83 R$4.58

119.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.05 R$5.77

156.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.32 R$7.24

34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.73 R$3.98

165.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.39 R$2.12

274.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.85 R$4.65

-10.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$2.03 R$11.15

228.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.50 R$19.23

61.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.44 R$7.92

-10.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.98 R$16.35

-28.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.92 R$5.06

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

$42.62 R$234

3.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.81 R$9.91

119.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.14 R$6.24

-43.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$2.90 R$15.93

552.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.01 R$5.52

125.74%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$13.0K R$71.4K

156.50%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$27.9K R$152.8K

38.24%

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

$158 €141

$42.50 R$233

272.21%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$21.66 R$119

-19.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$22.70 R$125

37.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$24.07 R$132

85.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$25.70 R$141

-26.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$5.74 R$31.49

66.90%

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

$674 €600

$65.6 R$360

927.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$6,380 R$35.0K

193.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$16.86 R$92.5

506.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$64.0 R$351

-28.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$45.64 R$250

123.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$55.7 R$305

119.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$340 R$1,866

382.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$229 R$1,259

417.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$627 R$3,441

350.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$440 R$2,417

358.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

$1,564 R$8,583

400.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

$1,161 R$6,372

304.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

-65.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Paulista: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Paulista

$229 31% 80.7% $958

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Paulista

$138 18.6% 49.8% $137

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Paulista

$114 15.5% 53.3% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Paulista

$87 11.7% 58% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Paulista

$82 11.1% 51.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Paulista

$36 4.8% 44.3% $28

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Paulista

$54 7.3% 10.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $340 in Paulista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $15 in Paulista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $138 per month, with Paulista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Paulista

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

05:12 5:12 AM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

342,167

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Paulista 5,830 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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $740 in Paulista, so Paulista is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,110 in Paulista to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $340 in Paulista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $66 in Paulista. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Paulista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.