Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portugal and Germany

Name: Germany
Address: DE

For one person, living is cheaper in Portugal: $1,742 a month against $2,080 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index

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🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portugal and in Germany

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,742 in Portugal versus $2,080 in Germany.

Portugal $1,742
Germany $2,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,557 in Portugal versus $3,130 in Germany.

Portugal $2,557
Germany $3,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Portugal versus $4,180 in Germany.

Portugal $3,373
Germany $4,180

Portugal ($1,014–$2,351) and Germany ($1,337–$2,681) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Portugal costs about 16% less than in Germany on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Portugal 28% above, Germany 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.36 €11.93

$16.60 €14.82

-19.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.94 €44.60

$71.8 €64.1

-30.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 €8.81

$12.12 €10.83

-18.56%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$3.96 €3.54

-46.21%

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

$1.98 €1.77

$3.36 €3.00

-41.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.89 €2.58

-53.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 €2.56

$5.07 €4.53

-43.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.50 €4.02

-26.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.26 €1.13

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.20 €1.96

-28.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$3.54 €3.16

-55.93%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.97

$3.88 €3.47

-14.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 €10.16

$14.24 €12.71

-20.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 €6.89

$11.90 €10.62

-35.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 €13.48

$20.68 €18.46

-27.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$3.28 €2.93

-33.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.05 €1.83

-28.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.31 €2.07

-21.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$4.29 €3.83

-44.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.53 €1.37

13.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.50 €1.34

27.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.64 €1.46

-9.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$1.02 €0.91

-28.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.60

$9.69 €8.65

-35.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.84

$6.01 €5.37

-9.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.12 €1.00

16.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.56 €1.40

42.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.05

$3.85 €3.43

-40.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.82 €39.13

$69.7 €62.3

-37.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 €3.42

$5.34 €4.76

-28.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.81 €2.51

-61.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.04 €15.22

$38.83 €34.68

-56.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.13 €1.90

-4.23%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$32.6K €29.1K

1.46%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$37.7K €33.7K

0.14%

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

$133 €119

$342 €305

-61.11%

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

$20.11 €17.96

$24.87 €22.21

-19.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.38 €36.06

$48.49 €43.30

-16.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.96 €37.47

$39.42 €35.20

6.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.82 €14.13

$27.47 €24.53

-42.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 €7.77

$14.65 €13.09

-40.61%

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

$484 €433

$611 €545

-20.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$17.3K €15.4K

-32.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €77.8

$89.1 €79.5

-2.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 €35.56

$42.07 €37.56

-5.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.6

$98.3 €87.8

-9.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.7

$131 €117

-21.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 €946

$934 €834

13.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 €749

$718 €642

16.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,601

$1,704 €1,521

5.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 €1,197

$1,294 €1,155

3.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,099 €3,661

$5,944 €5,308

-31.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 €2,609

$3,958 €3,534

-26.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,331 €1,189

$3,290 €2,938

-59.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.96

-5.81%

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

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portugal

$839 48.2%

Germany

$718 34.6% 14.3% $120

Groceries & Markets

Portugal

$249 14.3%

Germany

$335 16.1% 34.8% $86

Eating Out

Portugal

$196 11.3%

Germany

$276 13.3% 40.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portugal

$194 11.1%

Germany

$415 20% 115% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Portugal

$143 8.2%

Germany

$162 7.8% 13% $19

Getting Around

Portugal

$62 3.6%

Germany

$104 5% 67.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Portugal

$59 3.4%

Germany

$69 3.3% 15.8% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $972 in Portugal, $812 in Germany. Capital cities: $1,608 in Lisbon vs $1,407 in Berlin.

National salary averages: $1,283 in Portugal, $3,107 in Germany. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 20% higher in Portugal.

Dining out costs 48% more in Germany.

Public transport is 74% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portugal

🇩🇪 Germany

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

1 h ahead of Portugal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,347,892

84,358,845

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portugal Germany 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Portugal
Germany

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

Portugal vs Germany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,080 per month in Germany and $1,742 in Portugal, Portugal comes out about 16% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Portugal: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

It depends on what you’re after: Portugal wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.