Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $821 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Serra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $821 in Serra.

Lisbon $2,206
Serra $821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,216 in Serra.

Lisbon $3,276
Serra $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,612 in Serra.

Lisbon $4,346
Serra $1,612

Living in Lisbon is roughly 169% more expensive than in Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Serra is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$4.68 R$25.67

260.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$21.32 R$117

186.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

$7.26 R$39.82

51.24%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.87 R$10.28

63.10%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.19 R$6.56

91.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.58 R$3.18

189.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$1.88 R$10.29

82.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.77 R$15.19

41.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.04 R$5.70

10.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.74 R$9.57

8.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.06 R$5.81

41.51%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$1.94 R$10.66

112.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$9.88 R$54.2

31.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$4.13 R$22.65

94.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$8.05 R$44.17

122.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.64 R$14.47

-14.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.39 R$7.62

25.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.66 R$9.13

9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.52 R$8.33

76.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.13 R$6.22

56.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.04 R$5.71

86.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.18 R$6.50

23.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.28 R$7.00

-40.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

$2.33 R$12.79

185.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$5.15 R$28.28

9.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.96 R$5.25

34.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.05 R$16.72

-29.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.84 R$4.61

173.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

$44.66 R$245

-1.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.18 R$6.47

237.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.03 R$5.66

-37.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

$7.39 R$40.55

156.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.05 R$5.79

117.14%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$21.8K R$119.4K

53.39%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$30.7K R$168.6K

25.32%

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

$158 €141

$143 R$786

10.51%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$11.42 R$62.7

53.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$19.71 R$108

58.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

$23.79 R$131

87.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

$26.19 R$144

-27.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

$6.75 R$37.05

41.93%

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

$674 €601

$171 R$939

293.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$6,729 R$36.9K

178.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$52.8 R$290

93.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

$46.73 R$256

-1.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$84.5 R$464

20.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$65.7 R$361

85.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

$233 R$1,277

604.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

$142 R$780

735.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

$415 R$2,278

580.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

$202 R$1,108

899.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

$902 R$4,952

768.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

$514 R$2,822

814.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

$505 R$2,772

233.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

-65.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Serra: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Serra

$142 17.3% 88% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Serra

$197 24% 28.3% $78

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Serra

$104 12.6% 57.7% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Serra

$174 21.2% 15.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Serra

$112 13.7% 32.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Serra

$37 4.5% 41.6% $27

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Serra

$54 6.6% 10% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $233 in Serra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $21 in Serra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $197 per month, with Serra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

520,653

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Serra 7,300 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 Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $821 in Serra, so Serra is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.3 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $233 in Serra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $821 in Serra – Serra is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $821 in Serra versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Serra but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Serra 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.

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