Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portugal and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living costs are similar in Portugal and in Spain: $1,742 and $1,775 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portugal and in Spain

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Portugal vs $1,775 in Spain, rent included.

Portugal $1,742
Spain $1,775

A couple spends around $2,557 per month in Portugal vs $2,606 in Spain, rent included.

Portugal $2,557
Spain $2,606

A family of three spends $3,373 per month in Portugal vs $3,438 in Spain, rent included.

Portugal $3,373
Spain $3,438

Cost ranges are similar: Portugal spans $1,014–$2,351, Spain $931–$2,610. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Portugal and in Spain is about the same on average.

Both Portugal and Spain are pricier than the global median – Portugal by 28%, Spain by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.36 €11.94

$16.69 €14.92

-19.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.94 €44.65

$55.7 €49.79

-10.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 €8.82

$11.37 €10.16

-13.19%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$2.42 €2.16

-11.98%

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

$1.98 €1.77

$2.68 €2.39

-26.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.79 €1.60

-25.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 €2.56

$3.42 €3.06

-16.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.88 €3.47

-14.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.20 €1.07

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.48 €1.33

6.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.67 €1.50

-6.59%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.98

$3.42 €3.06

-2.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 €10.17

$14.17 €12.67

-19.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 €6.90

$8.33 €7.45

-7.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 €13.49

$16.20 €14.49

-6.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.45 €2.19

-10.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.03 €1.82

-28.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.08 €1.86

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.58 €2.31

-7.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.83 €1.64

-5.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.00 €1.79

-4.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.31 €1.17

12.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.66

$0.77 €0.69

-5.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.61

$6.36 €5.69

-1.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.84

$5.64 €5.04

-3.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.09 €1.86

6.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.64 €1.47

39.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.82 €39.17

$32.91 €29.42

33.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 €3.42

$4.43 €3.96

-13.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.47 €1.31

-26.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.04 €15.23

$24.98 €22.34

-31.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.77 €1.59

15.25%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$35.5K €31.8K

-7.01%

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

$37.8K €33.8K

$30.6K €27.4K

23.44%

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

$133 €119

$149 €133

-10.88%

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

$20.11 €17.98

$17.67 €15.80

13.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.38 €36.10

$31.88 €28.50

26.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.96 €37.51

$44.24 €39.55

-5.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.82 €14.15

$15.29 €13.67

3.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 €7.78

$9.66 €8.64

-9.94%

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

$484 €433

$544 €487

-11.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$10.6K €9,482

9.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €77.9

$84.9 €75.9

2.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 €35.60

$37.11 €33.18

7.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.7

$89.2 €79.7

-0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.8

$106 €94.5

-2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 €947

$1,056 €944

0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 €750

$808 €722

3.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,603

$1,621 €1,449

10.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 €1,199

$1,246 €1,114

7.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,099 €3,665

$4,135 €3,697

-0.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 €2,612

$2,633 €2,354

10.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,331 €1,190

$1,999 €1,787

-33.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.3

13.03%

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

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portugal

$839 48.2%

Spain

$808 45.5% 3.7% $31

Groceries & Markets

Portugal

$249 14.3%

Spain

$272 15.3% 9.3% $23

Eating Out

Portugal

$196 11.3%

Spain

$239 13.5% 22% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portugal

$194 11.1%

Spain

$199 11.2% 2.7% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Portugal

$143 8.2%

Spain

$143 8% 0.6% $0.8

Getting Around

Portugal

$62 3.6%

Spain

$51 2.9% 17.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Portugal

$59 3.4%

Spain

$64 3.6% 7.1% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $972 in Portugal vs $920 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,508 in Madrid.

Average salary: $1,283 in Portugal vs $1,972 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 6% higher in Portugal.

Dining out costs 19% more in Spain.

Public transport is 26% more expensive in Portugal.

Salaries are 54% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portugal

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h ahead of Portugal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,347,892

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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