Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,182 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lisbon $2,210
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lisbon $3,275
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lisbon $4,341
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Lisbon is roughly 87% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Rio de Janeiro is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$9.08 R$48.86

83.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$37.25 R$200

65.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.02 R$43.15

41.65%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.19 R$11.78

35.62%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.46 R$7.87

56.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.99 R$5.31

75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.03 R$10.91

67.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.45 R$18.55

-4.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.06 R$5.70

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.98 R$10.68

-3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.17 R$6.32

29.06%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.21 R$11.88

81.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.11 R$54.4

27.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.12 R$22.15

88.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$9.17 R$49.36

93.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.72 R$14.63

-15.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.71 R$9.21

1.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.53 R$8.23

21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.66 R$8.94

56.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.14 R$6.13

59.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.99 R$5.35

98.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.65 R$3.48

126.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.60 R$3.22

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.79 R$15.04

135.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.48 R$40.25

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.09 R$5.87

24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.33 R$12.56

-8.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.90 R$4.82

158.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$53.0 R$285

-15.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.17 R$6.28

229.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.78 R$4.20

37.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$8.37 R$45.05

96.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.21 R$6.53

81.82%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$21.5K R$115.5K

59.28%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$31.1K R$167.6K

24.38%

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

$161 €144

$124 R$670

29.54%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$10.03 R$54.0

83.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$20.88 R$112

56.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$28.35 R$153

57.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$29.33 R$158

-34.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.62 R$40.99

25.98%

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

$668 €598

$563 R$3,029

18.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.0K R$64.8K

46.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$39.25 R$211

159.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$46.36 R$250

-4.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$68.4 R$368

43.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$63.4 R$341

95.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$776 R$4,177

107.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$473 R$2,547

151.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,391 R$7,485

102.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$739 R$3,977

172.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,393 R$18.3K

131.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,570 R$8,450

191.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$597 R$3,212

163.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.93

-67.73%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 60.2% $717

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 26.2% $71

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 38.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 26.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 41% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 31.6% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 2.5% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $201 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Rio de Janeiro 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, so Rio de Janeiro is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $563 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Rio de Janeiro wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.