Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portugal and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Portugal: $1,742 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Italy despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portugal and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,742 in Portugal versus $1,843 in Italy.

Portugal $1,742
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,557 in Portugal versus $2,816 in Italy.

Portugal $2,557
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Portugal versus $3,788 in Italy.

Portugal $3,373
Italy $3,788

Portugal ($1,014–$2,351) and Italy ($1,038–$2,555) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Portugal costs about 5% less than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Portugal 28% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.36 €11.93

$20.46 €18.27

-34.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.94 €44.60

$79.5 €71.0

-37.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 €8.81

$11.15 €9.96

-11.48%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.04 €1.82

4.41%

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

$1.98 €1.77

$3.10 €2.77

-36.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.40 €1.25

-5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 €2.56

$5.51 €4.92

-47.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.74 €5.13

-42.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.57 €1.40

-31.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.38 €2.13

-33.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.90 €2.59

-46.21%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.97

$4.07 €3.64

-18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 €10.16

$17.44 €15.57

-34.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 €6.89

$12.56 €11.21

-38.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 €13.48

$20.17 €18.01

-25.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.58 €2.31

-15.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.19 €1.95

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.68 €2.39

-32.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$3.27 €2.92

-27.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.90 €1.70

-8.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.82 €1.62

4.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.57 €1.40

-5.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.55 €0.49

32.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.60

$6.69 €5.98

-6.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.84

$7.99 €7.13

-32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.77 €1.58

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.35 €2.10

-5.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.91 €1.71

19.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.82 €39.13

$43.44 €38.79

0.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 €3.42

$5.62 €5.02

-31.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.71 €1.53

-36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.04 €15.22

$33.64 €30.04

-49.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.03 €1.81

0.49%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$35.3K €31.5K

-6.44%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$36.7K €32.8K

2.83%

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

$133 €119

$227 €202

-41.28%

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

$20.11 €17.96

$11.59 €10.35

73.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.38 €36.06

$30.38 €27.13

32.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.96 €37.47

$51.8 €46.23

-18.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.82 €14.13

$23.70 €21.16

-33.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 €7.77

$10.60 €9.47

-17.92%

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

$484 €433

$568 €507

-14.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$11.5K €10.3K

0.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €77.8

$90.5 €80.8

-3.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 €35.56

$38.55 €34.43

3.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.6

$103 €91.7

-13.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.7

$131 €117

-21.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 €946

$826 €737

28.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 €749

$646 €577

29.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,601

$1,400 €1,250

28.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 €1,197

$1,054 €942

27.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,099 €3,661

$3,662 €3,270

11.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 €2,609

$2,301 €2,055

26.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,331 €1,189

$1,886 €1,684

-29.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.56

4.78%

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

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portugal

$839 48.2%

Italy

$646 35.1% 23% $192

Groceries & Markets

Portugal

$249 14.3%

Italy

$348 18.9% 40% $99

Eating Out

Portugal

$196 11.3%

Italy

$279 15.1% 42% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portugal

$194 11.1%

Italy

$269 14.6% 38.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Portugal

$143 8.2%

Italy

$163 8.9% 13.8% $20

Getting Around

Portugal

$62 3.6%

Italy

$65 3.5% 4.9% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Portugal

$59 3.4%

Italy

$73 4% 22.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $972 in Portugal, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,608 in Lisbon vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $1,283 in Portugal, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 33% higher in Portugal.

Dining out costs 52% more in Italy.

Salaries are 47% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portugal

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

00:18 12:18 AM

1 h ahead of Portugal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,347,892

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portugal Italy 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Portugal
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,742 in Portugal, Portugal comes out about 5% 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.