Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $730 a month against $1,936 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

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Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,936

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porto and in Santa Maria

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

A single person spends $1,936 per month in Porto vs $730 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Porto $1,936
Santa Maria $730

A couple spends around $2,902 per month in Porto vs $1,213 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Porto $2,902
Santa Maria $1,213

A family of three spends $3,869 per month in Porto vs $1,696 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Porto $3,869
Santa Maria $1,696

Porto costs about 165% more than Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Porto sits 43% above the global median, while Santa Maria is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.53 €12.94

$5.63 R$30.87

158.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.12

$33.54 R$184

64.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.99

$6.56 R$35.99

71.04%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.46

$1.66 R$9.11

66.27%

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

$2.22 €1.98

$0.96 R$5.26

131.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$0.66 R$3.62

98.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.91

$1.51 R$8.29

115.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.09

$4.06 R$22.25

13.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.95 R$5.21

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.47 R$8.07

18.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.47 R$8.06

Eggs

$4.09 €3.64

$2.17 R$11.90

88.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 €10.36

$8.80 R$48.29

32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$3.65 R$20.01

90.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 €14.83

$7.50 R$41.15

122.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.34 R$12.85

-5.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.75 R$9.58

-4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.99 R$10.95

-5.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.41 R$7.72

77.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.12 R$6.13

58.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.32 R$7.25

40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.43

$0.94 R$5.13

70.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.78 R$4.25

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.01

$2.19 R$12.01

208.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.96

$7.14 R$39.17

-21.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.19 R$6.52

12.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.74 R$15.01

-2.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.22 R$6.68

30.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.07 €40.13

$41.19 R$226

9.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$1.21 R$6.65

227.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.73 R$4.02

12.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 €14.83

$7.36 R$40.39

126.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.16 R$6.37

87.07%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$22.2K R$122.0K

49.98%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$29.8K R$163.7K

21.49%

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

$163 €145

$50.6 R$278

222.49%

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

$14.92 €13.29

$15.83 R$86.9

-5.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.60 €30.81

$16.69 R$91.6

107.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.69 €38.90

$22.11 R$121

97.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 €13.68

$11.11 R$61.0

38.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.02

$5.38 R$29.51

67.47%

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

$557 €496

$146 R$803

280.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$2,737 R$15.0K

324.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.9

$57.6 R$316

81.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.84 €29.24

$40.91 R$224

-19.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.5

$90.5 R$496

3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.3

$58.8 R$322

74.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,180

$268 R$1,472

393.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 €864

$157 R$864

516.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 €2,027

$610 R$3,348

273.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,517

$355 R$1,949

379.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,306 €4,724

$1,605 R$8,804

230.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,523

$652 R$3,577

506.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,621 €1,443

$587 R$3,220

176.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

-63.60%

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

Last update for Porto: November 3, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto

$970 50.1%

Santa Maria

$157 21.6% 83.8% $813

Groceries & Markets

Porto

$259 13.4%

Santa Maria

$188 25.7% 27.6% $71

Eating Out

Porto

$223 11.5%

Santa Maria

$107 14.6% 52.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto

$213 11%

Santa Maria

$83 11.4% 60.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Porto

$150 7.8%

Santa Maria

$111 15.3% 25.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Porto

$62 3.2%

Santa Maria

$33 4.5% 46.7% $29

Getting Around

Porto

$59 3.1%

Santa Maria

$51 7% 14.4% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,325 in Porto versus $268 in Santa Maria. 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 2.8 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 Santa Maria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $188 – making Santa Maria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Porto

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

3 h behind Porto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,828

271,735

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Porto Santa Maria 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto
Santa Maria

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 Santa Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto costs about 165% more than Santa Maria, 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 $1,096 in Santa Maria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Maria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $268 there versus $1,325 in Porto.

Kindergarten costs $557 per month in Porto and $146 in Santa Maria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Porto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Maria, where all-in costs run around $730, than in Porto at $1,936. In Santa Maria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Porto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Maria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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