Cost of Living Comparison Between Portugal and Italy Cost of Living Comparison Between Portugal and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,627 in Portugal versus $1,720 in Italy.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Portugal versus $2,626 in Italy.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,177 in Portugal versus $3,531 in Italy.

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

Both countries sit above the global median: Portugal 22% above, Italy 29% above.

Portugal ($1,071–$2,330) and Italy ($1,191–$2,443) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.44 €9.97

$17.16 €14.96

-33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 €45.35

$81.4 €70.9

-36.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 €8.01

$11.60 €10.11

-20.78%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.90

$1.98 €1.73

9.60%

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

$2.05 €1.79

$3.00 €2.62

-31.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.22

$1.36 €1.18

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 €2.59

$5.92 €5.16

-49.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 €3.06

$5.25 €4.58

-33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.96

$1.70 €1.49

-35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.37

$2.37 €2.07

-33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.45

$3.03 €2.65

-45.21%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.75

$3.95 €3.44

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 €10.40

$16.66 €14.53

-28.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.85 €6.84

$12.26 €10.68

-35.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.65 €12.77

$20.06 €17.49

-26.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.00

$2.55 €2.23

-9.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.26

$2.20 €1.92

-34.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.59

$2.75 €2.40

-33.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.25

$3.22 €2.81

-19.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.47

$1.94 €1.69

-12.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.74

$1.82 €1.59

9.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.40

$1.48 €1.29

8.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.71

$0.50 €0.43

62.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.54 €5.70

$7.13 €6.21

-8.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €4.98

$7.37 €6.43

-22.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.15

$1.76 €1.53

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.12

$2.53 €2.20

-3.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.06

$1.99 €1.73

19.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.49 €40.53

$42.32 €36.90

9.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.57

$5.67 €4.94

-27.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.87

$1.52 €1.32

-34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.39 €15.16

$34.94 €30.46

-50.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.68

$2.09 €1.83

-7.66%

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

$34.1K €29.7K

$32.7K €28.5K

4.31%

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

$39.4K €34.4K

$32.9K €28.7K

19.83%

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

$133 €116

$227 €198

-41.45%

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

$21.23 €18.51

$13.58 €11.84

56.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.27 €36.86

$31.57 €27.52

33.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.35 €37.80

$57.7 €50.3

-24.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 €14.31

$25.23 €22.00

-34.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 €7.62

$10.59 €9.24

-17.47%

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

$500 €436

$568 €495

-11.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €10.7K

$10.5K €9,187

16.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 €80.1

$90.7 €79.0

1.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.81 €34.70

$40.49 €35.30

-1.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 €78.1

$99.8 €87.0

-10.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €89.3

$130 €113

-20.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 €917

$865 €754

21.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 €746

$672 €586

27.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 €1,583

$1,523 €1,328

19.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 €1,154

$1,078 €940

22.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,995 €3,483

$3,767 €3,284

6.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,839 €2,475

$2,360 €2,058

20.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,292 €1,126

$1,949 €1,699

-33.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.83

4.41

9.52%

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

Last update for Portugal: July 27, 2026

Last update for Italy: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $938 in Portugal, $743 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,612 in Lisbon vs $1,334 in Rome.

National salary averages: $1,294 in Portugal, $1,912 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 26% higher in Portugal.

Dining out costs 54% more in Italy.

Salaries are 48% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

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 $1,817 per month in Italy and $1,701 in Portugal, there's a 7% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Portugal: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in Portugal across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Portugal, $3,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Portugal wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.