Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Braga

For one person, living is cheaper in Braga: $1,555 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Braga
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Braga Living Index

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Braga

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maia and in Braga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Maia and in Braga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,182 in Maia versus $1,555 in Braga.

Maia $2,182
Braga $1,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,718 in Maia versus $2,247 in Braga.

Maia $2,718
Braga $2,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,254 in Maia versus $2,939 in Braga.

Maia $3,254
Braga $2,939

Living in Maia is roughly 40% more expensive than in Braga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maia 61% above, Braga 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$11.24 €10.00

1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$48.33 €42.99

3.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$9.08 €8.07

-2.20%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$1.84 €1.63

8.70%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$2.16 €1.92

-10.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.19 €1.06

21.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.38 €3.01

-34.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$2.20 €1.95

82.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.07 €0.95

2.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.12 €1.88

-20.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.78 €1.59

-14.04%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$3.37 €3.00

-14.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$9.50 €8.45

39.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$7.89 €7.01

0.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$14.77 €13.14

-0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.30 €2.04

-3.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.40 €1.25

24.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.80 €1.60

15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.77 €2.47

-15.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.02 €1.79

9.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.92 €1.71

14.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$1.17 €1.04

-20.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.91 €0.81

20.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$6.37 €5.67

3.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$4.37 €3.89

5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.24 €1.10

5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.60 €1.43

53.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.79 €1.59

37.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$22.09 €19.65

102.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$4.28 €3.81

6.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.77 €1.58

-18.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$16.32 €14.52

3.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.14 €1.91

-1.87%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$33.1K €29.4K

-2.50%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$37.3K €33.2K

3.20%

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

$106 €94.3

$108 €96.1

-1.81%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$17.45 €15.52

15.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$45.36 €40.35

-16.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$45.83 €40.76

-2.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$12.86 €11.44

164.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$9.00 €8.00

-3.89%

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

$439 €390

$334 €298

31.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$10.1K €9,005

-36.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$67.0 €59.6

65.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$36.82 €32.75

-40.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$82.6 €73.5

-8.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$98.8 €87.8

6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$915 €813

17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$726 €646

80.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$1,414 €1,258

20.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,056 €939

17.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$2,487 €2,212

22.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$1,905 €1,695

-12.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$1,284 €1,142

10.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

3.55

4.23%

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

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Braga: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Braga

$726 46.7% 44.7% $587

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Braga

$249 16% 3.9% $10

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Braga

$174 11.2% 0.5% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Braga

$171 11% 4.1% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Braga

$128 8.3% 9.4% $13

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Braga

$42 2.7% 36.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Braga

$64 4.1% 2.6% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,072 in Maia and $915 in Braga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maia pays 11% 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: $50.0 in Maia vs $48.00 in Braga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $249 per month, with Braga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇵🇹 Braga

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

Same time as Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

193,349

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Maia Braga 39 km

From you

Maia
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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

Maia vs Braga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia and Braga differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,182 vs $1,555 including rent). Braga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Maia, 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: $1,072 in Maia versus $915 in Braga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $439 in Maia versus $334 in Braga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Maia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,555 in Braga versus $2,182 in Maia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Braga but tight or insufficient in Maia. The gap between the two cities makes Braga 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, Maia and Braga 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 Braga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Maia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.