Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Povoa de Varzim

For one person, living is cheaper in Povoa de Varzim: $1,681 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Povoa de Varzim
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Povoa de Varzim Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Povoa de Varzim

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Povoa de Varzim

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 Povoa de Varzim actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,681 in Povoa de Varzim.

Lisbon $2,202
Povoa de Varzim $1,681

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,465 in Povoa de Varzim.

Lisbon $3,274
Povoa de Varzim $2,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,249 in Povoa de Varzim.

Lisbon $4,346
Povoa de Varzim $3,249

Living in Lisbon is roughly 31% more expensive than in Povoa de Varzim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Povoa de Varzim 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$13.29 €11.83

28.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$50.4 €44.79

23.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.99 €8.89

10.31%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.92 €1.71

62.50%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.96 €1.74

15.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.32 €1.17

31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.26 €2.01

51.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.25 €2.89

15.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.14 €1.01

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.55 €1.38

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.45 €1.29

6.21%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.29 €2.92

23.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.51 €10.24

12.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$6.92 €6.15

14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$16.39 €14.58

7.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.22 €1.97

1.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.57 €1.40

11.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.83 €1.63

3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.48 €2.21

3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.63 €1.45

13.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.80 €1.60

9.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.60 €1.43

-9.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.71 €0.63

8.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$6.57 €5.84

2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.54 €4.93

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.30 €1.16

5.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.09 €1.86

0.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.28 €2.02

1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$41.70 €37.09

6.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.84 €3.41

2.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.87 €0.77

20.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$14.13 €12.57

21.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.12 €1.88

3.30%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$32.9K €29.2K

2.74%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$35.9K €31.9K

6.57%

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

$164 €146

$160 €142

2.66%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$22.10 €19.66

-16.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$33.16 €29.49

-0.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.51 €36.92

10.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$16.96 €15.08

10.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.09 €8.08

7.26%

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

$684 €608

$583 €519

17.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$10.5K €9,310

68.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$97.7 €86.9

6.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$33.49 €29.79

37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$93.3 €83.0

6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$104 €92.8

19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$964 €857

64.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$760 €676

53.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,511 €1,344

88.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,194 €1,062

66.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,067 €2,728

154.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,240 €1,992

97.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,459 €1,297

9.69%

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 Povoa de Varzim: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Povoa de Varzim

$760 45.2% 35% $409

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Povoa de Varzim

$250 14.9% 8.6% $24

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Povoa de Varzim

$190 11.3% 23.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Povoa de Varzim

$215 12.8% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Povoa de Varzim

$148 8.8% 12.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Povoa de Varzim

$60 3.6% 8.7% $5.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Povoa de Varzim

$59 3.5% 6.3% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $964 in Povoa de Varzim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 10% 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 $50.0 in Povoa de Varzim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $250 per month, with Povoa de Varzim cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇵🇹 Povoa de Varzim

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

64,257

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Povoa de Varzim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Povoa de Varzim differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,681 including rent). Povoa de Varzim is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% 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 $964 in Povoa de Varzim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $583 in Povoa de Varzim. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,681 in Povoa de Varzim versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Povoa de Varzim but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Povoa de Varzim 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 Povoa de Varzim 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 Povoa de Varzim gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.