Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $985 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $985 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Lisbon $2,210
Sao Caetano do Sul $985

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,686 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Lisbon $3,275
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,388 in Sao Caetano do Sul.

Lisbon $4,341
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,388

Living in Lisbon is roughly 124% more expensive than in Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sao Caetano do Sul is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$8.42 R$45.06

97.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$37.05 R$198

66.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$8.57 R$45.85

32.56%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.15 R$11.48

38.14%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.25 R$6.71

83.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.89 R$4.74

95.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.28 R$12.18

49.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.61 R$19.34

-8.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.12 R$5.98

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.91 R$10.22

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.35 R$7.23

11.85%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.39 R$12.76

68.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$10.08 R$54.0

28.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$4.95 R$26.50

56.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$9.88 R$52.9

79.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.25 R$12.03

2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.59 R$8.50

8.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.51 R$8.09

23.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.86 R$9.93

39.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.31 R$7.02

38.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.17 R$6.25

68.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.88 R$4.70

67.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.74 R$3.97

-2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$2.39 R$12.81

175.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.51 R$45.56

-34.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.72 R$9.18

-20.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.33 R$12.47

-8.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.63 R$3.37

269.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.22 R$6.55

215.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.90 R$4.82

18.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$8.08 R$43.23

103.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.24 R$6.64

77.42%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$21.9K R$117.0K

56.33%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$31.5K R$168.8K

22.76%

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

$161 €145

$98.0 R$524

64.51%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$13.73 R$73.5

34.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$21.02 R$112

55.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$46.43 R$248

-4.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$42.29 R$226

-54.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.04 R$48.36

6.19%

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

$668 €600

$418 R$2,234

59.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.3K R$55.0K

71.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$61.3 R$328

66.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$52.4 R$280

-15.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$93.0 R$498

5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$86.5 R$463

42.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$393 R$2,102

309.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$287 R$1,534

315.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$796 R$4,258

253.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$788 R$4,218

155.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$1,689 R$9,039

364.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$1,367 R$7,318

234.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$877 R$4,693

79.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

10.81

-64.38%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$287 29.1% 75.9% $903

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$215 21.8% 21.1% $57

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$146 14.8% 39.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$133 13.5% 37.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$132 13.4% 20.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$65 6.6% 1.2% $0.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$8.2 * 0.8% 87% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $393 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 80% 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 in Lisbon vs $37 in Sao Caetano do Sul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $215 per month, with Sao Caetano do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

165,655

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Sao Caetano do Sul 7,950 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 Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sao Caetano do Sul differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $985 including rent). Sao Caetano do Sul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $393 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $985 in Sao Caetano do Sul – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sao Caetano do Sul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

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