Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Porto

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto: $1,917 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Porto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,917 in Porto.

Lisbon $2,202
Porto $1,917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,853 in Porto.

Lisbon $3,274
Porto $2,853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,789 in Porto.

Lisbon $4,346
Porto $3,789

Living in Lisbon is roughly 15% more expensive than in Porto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Porto 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$13.61 €12.11

25.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$56.8 €50.5

9.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.61 €2.32

19.54%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.29 €2.04

-0.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.32 €1.18

31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.32 €2.95

3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.40 €3.91

-15.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.09 €0.97

7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.70 €1.51

9.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.50 €1.33

2.67%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.16 €3.70

-2.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.78 €10.48

9.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.07 €6.29

11.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$16.43 €14.61

7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.16 €1.92

4.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.61 €1.43

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.84 €1.63

2.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.46 €2.19

4.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.71 €1.52

8.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.80 €1.60

9.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.62 €1.44

-10.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.78 €0.69

-1.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.45 €5.74

4.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.63 €5.01

0.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.35 €1.21

1.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.57 €2.29

-17.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.70 €1.51

36.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$45.60 €40.56

-2.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$4.02 €3.58

-1.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.87 €0.77

20.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$16.94 €15.07

1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.15 €1.92

1.86%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$33.8K €30.1K

-0.14%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$37.4K €33.2K

2.43%

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

$164 €146

$162 €144

1.02%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$14.61 €12.99

26.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$36.91 €32.83

-10.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$45.11 €40.13

1.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$15.27 €13.58

22.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.05 €8.05

7.73%

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

$684 €608

$581 €517

17.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$10.5K €9,343

67.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$103 €91.2

1.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$32.78 €29.16

40.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$93.9 €83.5

6.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$106 €94.1

17.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,279 €1,138

24.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$957 €852

22.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,223 €1,978

28.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,633 €1,452

22.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,244 €4,665

48.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,860 €3,433

14.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,564 €1,391

2.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.67

4.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Porto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Porto

$957 49.9% 18.1% $212

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Porto

$258 13.5% 5.4% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Porto

$213 11.1% 13.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Porto

$214 11.1% 0.7% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Porto

$151 7.9% 10.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Porto

$63 3.3% 3.3% $2.2

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Porto

$61 3.2% 3.4% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,279 in Porto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 2% 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 $57.0 in Porto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $258 per month, with Porto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Porto

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

231,828

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Porto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Porto differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,917 including rent). Porto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% 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 $1,279 in Porto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $581 in Porto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,917 in Porto versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Porto but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Porto 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 Porto 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 Porto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.