Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Petrolina

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $736 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.

Lisbon, Portugal
Petrolina, Brazil
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,206
/mo nomad
Petrolina
🇧🇷 Brazil
$736
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Petrolina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $736 in Petrolina.

  • Lisbon $2,206
  • Petrolina $736

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,155 in Petrolina.

  • Lisbon $3,276
  • Petrolina $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,574 in Petrolina.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Petrolina $1,574

Living in Lisbon is roughly 200% more expensive than in Petrolina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Petrolina is 46% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 €15.01
$5.42 R$29.74
211.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 €54.4
$29.35 R$161
107.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.98 €9.78
$7.30 R$40.07
50.41%
Cappuccino
$3.05 €2.72
$1.86 R$10.20
63.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.23 R$6.75
85.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.50
$0.70 R$3.85
140.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €3.06
$1.81 R$9.94
90.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 €3.48
$2.85 R$15.65
37.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.02
$1.04 R$5.71
10.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 €1.68
$0.85 R$4.66
122.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 €1.34
$1.11 R$6.06
35.14%
Eggs
$4.12 €3.66
$1.54 R$8.47
167.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.01 €11.58
$8.60 R$47.17
51.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.04 €7.16
$3.48 R$19.10
131.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.89 €15.93
$7.45 R$40.90
140.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.26 R$12.39
0.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.84 R$4.62
107.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.07 R$5.89
70.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.69 €2.39
$1.44 R$7.92
86.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 €1.57
$1.12 R$6.16
58.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 €1.72
$0.73 R$3.99
165.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.30
$0.72 R$3.93
102.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 €0.68
$0.45 R$2.45
68.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.66 €5.93
$2.34 R$12.81
184.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.02
$6.48 R$35.56
-12.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.23 R$6.78
4.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.90
$1.95 R$10.68
9.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.30 €2.05
$1.00 R$5.48
130.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.02 €39.19
$42.15 R$231
4.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 €3.55
$1.23 R$6.76
223.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 €0.57
$0.86 R$4.72
-25.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.93 €16.85
$7.43 R$40.75
154.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.23 R$6.77
85.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K €29.7K
$19.5K R$107.0K
71.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.3K
$24.6K R$134.9K
56.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 €141
$62.7 R$344
152.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.54 €15.62
$8.18 R$44.86
114.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.18 €27.77
$11.37 R$62.4
174.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.64 €39.75
$17.51 R$96.1
154.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.98 €16.90
$25.72 R$141
-26.21%
Cinema Ticket
$9.58 €8.53
$3.76 R$20.63
154.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$674 €600
$226 R$1,241
197.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K €16.7K
$6,623 R$36.3K
182.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.0
$18.43 R$101
454.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.90 €40.87
$46.58 R$256
-1.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.0
$50.9 R$279
100.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 €109
$78.2 R$429
55.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,641 €1,461
$256 R$1,405
540.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 €1,057
$221 R$1,213
437.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,825 €2,515
$556 R$3,048
408.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,018 €1,797
$379 R$2,081
432.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,836 €6,977
$1,587 R$8,710
393.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,701 €4,186
$1,139 R$6,248
312.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Petrolina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,687 €1,502
$558 R$3,061
202.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.82
11
-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 Petrolina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Petrolina
$221 81.4% $966
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$275
Petrolina
$159 42.1% $116
Eating Out
Lisbon
$245
Petrolina
$110 55.1% $135
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$207
Petrolina
$82 60.3% $125
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Petrolina
$87 47.8% $80
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Petrolina
$25 60.8% $39
Getting Around
Lisbon
$60
Petrolina
$52 14.5% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $256 in Petrolina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $29 in Petrolina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $159 per month, with Petrolina cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇧🇷 Petrolina
🕒 Local time
05:07 5:07 AM
02:07 2:07 AM
3 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
386,791
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Petrolina 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Petrolina

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 Petrolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Petrolina?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $736 in Petrolina, so Petrolina is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Petrolina?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Petrolina?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $256 in Petrolina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Petrolina?
Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $226 in Petrolina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Petrolina?
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.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Petrolina?
Expats usually find Petrolina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

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