Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and the Canary Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Canary Islands: $1,638 a month against $1,947 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Porto outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index

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Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,947

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porto and in the Canary Islands

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,947 in Porto versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands.

Porto $1,947
Canary Islands $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,889 in Porto versus $2,372 in the Canary Islands.

Porto $2,889
Canary Islands $2,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,831 in Porto versus $3,106 in the Canary Islands.

Porto $3,831
Canary Islands $3,106

Living in Porto is roughly 19% more expensive than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Porto 43% above, Canary Islands 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.49 €12.09

$20.18 €18.08

-33.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.4

$60.0 €53.7

-6.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 €10.09

$9.48 €8.49

18.78%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.46

$2.03 €1.82

35.47%

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

$2.33 €2.08

$1.85 €1.66

25.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.11 €0.99

23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.75 €2.46

20.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.92

$3.34 €2.99

31.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.33 €1.19

-13.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.47 €2.21

-30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.55 €1.38

-7.10%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.59

$2.18 €1.95

83.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.83 €10.60

$19.29 €17.29

-38.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 €6.17

$10.07 €9.02

-31.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.47 €14.75

$17.76 €15.91

-7.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.66 €2.38

-19.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.29 €2.05

-31.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.18 €1.96

-14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.22

$2.51 €2.25

-1.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.60

$2.08 €1.87

-14.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$2.00 €1.79

-8.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.69 €1.51

-5.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.91 €0.82

-19.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 €5.79

$4.70 €4.21

37.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.98

$7.83 €7.02

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.62 €1.45

-17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.40

$1.74 €1.56

53.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 €1.41

$0.82 €0.73

91.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.59 €40.85

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 €3.47

$4.23 €3.79

-8.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.63 €1.46

-47.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 €14.86

$17.05 €15.28

-2.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.70 €1.52

27.65%

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

$33.4K €30.0K

$24.1K €21.6K

38.76%

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

$36.6K €32.8K

$30.6K €27.4K

19.63%

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

$161 €145

$122 €110

31.83%

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

$14.69 €13.16

$21.05 €18.86

-30.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.94 €32.20

$34.53 €30.94

4.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 €37.94

$47.66 €42.71

-11.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.63

$24.64 €22.08

-38.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.00 €8.06

$9.93 €8.90

-9.37%

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

$563 €505

$398 €357

41.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,405

$4,943 €4,429

112.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.8

$67.9 €60.8

49.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.57 €29.19

$39.80 €35.67

-18.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 €85.4

$92.4 €82.8

3.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €93.2

$112 €100

-7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,177

$1,121 €1,004

17.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 €889

$672 €602

47.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 €2,062

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,688 €1,513

$844 €756

100.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,381 €4,822

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,522

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,601 €1,435

$1,366 €1,224

17.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

3.33

10.21%

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

Last update for Porto: October 26, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto

$992 51%

Canary Islands

$672 41% 32.3% $321

Groceries & Markets

Porto

$257 13.2%

Canary Islands

$318 19.4% 23.7% $61

Eating Out

Porto

$215 11%

Canary Islands

$246 15.1% 14.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto

$212 10.9%

Canary Islands

$178 10.9% 16% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Porto

$150 7.7%

Canary Islands

$140 8.6% 6.3% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Porto

$60 3.1%

Canary Islands

$68 4.1% 11.9% $7.2

Getting Around

Porto

$60 3.1%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 73.9% $44

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 $1,314 in Porto and $1,121 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porto pays 17% 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: $56 in Porto vs $60 in the Canary Islands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $318 per month, with Porto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Porto

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

Same time as Porto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,828

12,050

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Porto Canary Islands 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Porto
Canary Islands

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

Porto vs Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Canary Islands wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Porto. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Canary Islands the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Porto, 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: $1,314 in Porto versus $1,121 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Porto pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,947 per month in Porto versus $1,638 in the Canary Islands – Canary Islands is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Porto and Canary Islands are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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