Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sao Joao da Boa Vista

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $821 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Joao da Boa Vista actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $821 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Lisbon $2,202
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,320 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Lisbon $3,274
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,819 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista.

Lisbon $4,346
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,819

Living in Lisbon is roughly 168% more expensive than in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sao Joao da Boa Vista is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$5.54 R$28.07

207.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$23.20 R$118

168.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$7.12 R$36.09

54.78%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.97 R$10.00

58.38%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.23 R$6.25

84.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.94 R$4.77

85.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.01 R$10.21

70.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.04 R$10.34

83.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.08 R$5.49

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.62 R$8.21

14.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.98 R$4.95

57.14%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.43 R$12.32

67.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.06 R$51.0

28.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$4.93 R$25.01

60.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.12 R$51.3

74.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.95 R$9.87

15.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.22 R$6.21

43.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.99 R$5.00

90.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.62 R$8.20

58.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.81 R$4.12

128.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.76 R$3.85

159.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.84 R$4.24

72.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.79 R$3.99

-2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$2.46 R$12.45

172.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.16 R$31.22

-7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.18 R$5.99

16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.93 R$9.76

9.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.93 R$4.74

149.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$43.70 R$222

1.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.59 R$8.08

148.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.59 R$8.04

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.88 R$39.94

117.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.03 R$5.20

112.62%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.9K R$100.9K

69.74%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$33.1K R$167.9K

15.54%

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

$164 €146

$95.4 R$484

71.71%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$10.11 R$51.2

82.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$20.34 R$103

62.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$28.42 R$144

61.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$27.82 R$141

-32.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.46 R$27.66

78.57%

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

$684 €608

$283 R$1,434

141.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$10.1K R$51.3K

74.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$54.8 R$278

89.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$37.51 R$190

23.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$53.0 R$269

88.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$59.7 R$303

108.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$354 R$1,794

349.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$201 R$1,019

481.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$663 R$3,359

330.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$469 R$2,375

325.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$1,729 R$8,765

350.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,214 R$6,156

263.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$670 R$3,396

138.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

12.79

-69.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$201 24.5% 82.8% $968

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$194 23.6% 29% $79

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$112 13.7% 54.7% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$126 15.3% 41.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$92 11.2% 45.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$39 4.8% 39.8% $26

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$57 6.9% 9.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $354 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 139% 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 $23.00 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $194 per month, with Sao Joao da Boa Vista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

92,547

💱 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

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Lisbon Sao Joao da Boa Vista 7,800 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 Joao da Boa Vista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sao Joao da Boa Vista differ by about 168% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $821 including rent). Sao Joao da Boa Vista is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 139% 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 $354 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $283 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $821 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Boa Vista but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.