Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Recife

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $916 a month against $1,936 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index

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Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,936

/mo nomad

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porto and in Recife

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

A single person spends $1,936 per month in Porto vs $916 in Recife, rent included.

Porto $1,936
Recife $916

A couple spends around $2,902 per month in Porto vs $1,519 in Recife, rent included.

Porto $2,902
Recife $1,519

A family of three spends $3,869 per month in Porto vs $2,121 in Recife, rent included.

Porto $3,869
Recife $2,121

Porto costs about 111% more than Recife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Porto sits 43% above the global median, while Recife is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.53 €12.94

$5.12 R$28.10

183.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.12

$34.34 R$188

60.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.99

$8.98 R$49.25

24.94%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.46

$2.33 R$12.77

18.45%

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

$2.22 €1.98

$1.03 R$5.65

115.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$0.59 R$3.21

122.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.91

$1.45 R$7.93

124.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.09

$2.88 R$15.81

59.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.28 R$7.04

-10.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.51 R$8.28

15.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.48 R$8.10

-0.68%

Eggs

$4.09 €3.64

$1.82 R$9.97

124.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 €10.36

$6.55 R$35.92

77.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$4.20 R$23.03

65.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 €14.83

$7.31 R$40.13

127.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.31 R$7.21

68.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.24 R$6.79

35.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.69 R$3.76

173.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.18 R$6.45

111.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.30 R$7.14

36.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.04 R$5.70

78.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.43

$0.48 R$2.64

233.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.79 R$4.31

-5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.01

$1.68 R$9.22

301.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.96

$7.21 R$39.58

-22.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.08 R$5.91

24.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.46 R$8.03

82.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.41

$0.76 R$4.15

109.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.07 €40.13

$45.75 R$251

-1.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$0.97 R$5.32

308.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.60 R$3.30

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 €14.83

$4.78 R$26.23

248.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.18 R$6.49

83.90%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$21.4K R$117.3K

55.93%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$31.0K R$170.3K

16.76%

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

$163 €145

$108 R$594

50.74%

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

$14.92 €13.29

$12.52 R$68.7

19.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.60 €30.81

$15.99 R$87.7

116.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.69 €38.90

$20.82 R$114

109.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 €13.68

$32.19 R$177

-52.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.02

$8.32 R$45.63

8.29%

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

$557 €496

$257 R$1,407

117.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$10.9K R$59.6K

6.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.9

$41.83 R$230

149.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.84 €29.24

$45.43 R$249

-27.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.5

$69.2 R$380

35.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.3

$76.5 R$420

34.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,180

$544 R$2,982

143.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 €864

$303 R$1,662

220.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 €2,027

$807 R$4,427

182.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,517

$747 R$4,097

128.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,306 €4,724

$1,862 R$10.2K

185.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,523

$1,066 R$5,852

270.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,621 €1,443

$554 R$3,040

192.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

11.75

-69.02%

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

Last update for Porto: November 3, 2026

Last update for Recife: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto

$970 50.1%

Recife

$303 33.1% 68.8% $667

Groceries & Markets

Porto

$259 13.4%

Recife

$166 18.2% 35.9% $93

Eating Out

Porto

$223 11.5%

Recife

$115 12.6% 48.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto

$213 11%

Recife

$137 14.9% 35.7% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Porto

$150 7.8%

Recife

$105 11.4% 30.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Porto

$62 3.2%

Recife

$37 4.1% 39.3% $24

Getting Around

Porto

$59 3.1%

Recife

$53 5.8% 11.3% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,325 in Porto versus $544 in Recife. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Porto are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Porto versus $34 in Recife. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $166 – making Recife the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Porto

🇧🇷 Recife

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

3 h behind Porto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,828

1,488,920

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Porto Recife 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto
Recife

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 Recife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto costs about 111% more than Recife, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,904 per month in Porto and $1,375 in Recife. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Recife, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $544 there versus $1,325 in Porto.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Porto and $34 in Recife. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Porto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,936 in Porto and $916 in Recife. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Recife costs $916 versus $1,936 in Porto. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Recife. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Porto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.