Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Recife

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $924 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Recife

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $924 in Recife.

Lisbon $2,223
Recife $924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,523 in Recife.

Lisbon $3,271
Recife $1,523

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,121 in Recife.

Lisbon $4,319
Recife $2,121

Living in Lisbon is roughly 141% more expensive than in Recife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Recife is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$5.52 R$27.99

198.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$38.47 R$195

59.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.93 R$50.4

13.49%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.58 R$13.08

18.60%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.10 R$5.56

105.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.63 R$3.21

174.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.64 R$8.31

106.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.15 R$15.99

7.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.38 R$7.00

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.70 R$8.63

9.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.68 R$8.51

-8.93%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.91 R$9.68

107.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.10 R$36.01

79.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$4.68 R$23.73

68.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$8.08 R$40.97

110.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.42 R$7.22

59.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.39 R$7.02

25.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.81 R$4.11

128.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.23 R$6.23

108.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.48 R$7.50

25.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.09 R$5.50

85.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.52 R$2.65

176.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.90 R$4.59

-8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$1.76 R$8.94

272.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$8.25 R$41.80

-31.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.19 R$6.02

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.51 R$7.65

37.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.88 R$4.45

167.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$38.02 R$193

16.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.28 R$6.50

211.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.74 R$3.74

47.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$3.63 R$18.42

358.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.36 R$6.91

67.65%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$23.7K R$120.1K

42.12%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$33.2K R$168.2K

18.43%

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

$167 €149

$117 R$596

42.56%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$13.49 R$68.4

39.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$17.51 R$88.8

88.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$21.79 R$110

111.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$34.68 R$176

-44.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$8.54 R$43.28

15.22%

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

$677 €602

$282 R$1,432

139.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$12.0K R$60.9K

40.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$46.34 R$235

118.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$51.2 R$259

-10.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$75.5 R$383

32.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$81.6 R$413

50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$509 R$2,578

217.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$265 R$1,345

351.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$887 R$4,495

222.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$638 R$3,233

212.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,005 R$10.2K

277.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,070 R$5,425

302.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$437 R$2,214

263.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.75

-67.23%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Recife: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Recife

$265 28.7% 77.8% $932

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Recife

$184 19.9% 31.7% $85

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Recife

$126 13.7% 47.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Recife

$148 16.1% 32.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Recife

$115 12.4% 31.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Recife

$39 4.2% 40.8% $27

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Recife

$47 5% 26.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $509 in Recife. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 264% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $38.00 in Recife for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $184 per month, with Recife cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Recife

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,488,920

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Recife 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Recife

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 Recife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Recife differ by about 141% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $924 including rent). Recife is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 264% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $509 in Recife. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $282 in Recife. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $924 in Recife versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Recife but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Recife 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 Recife 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 Recife gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.