Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recife and Porto

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $916 a month against $1,936 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index

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Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Recife and in Porto

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Recife vs $1,936 in Porto, rent included.

Recife $916
Porto $1,936

A couple spends around $1,519 per month in Recife vs $2,902 in Porto, rent included.

Recife $1,519
Porto $2,902

A family of three spends $2,121 per month in Recife vs $3,869 in Porto, rent included.

Recife $2,121
Porto $3,869

Recife is about 53% cheaper than Porto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Recife sits 32% below the global median, while Porto is 43% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 R$28.10

$14.53 €12.94

-64.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.34 R$188

$55.2 €49.12

-37.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.98 R$49.25

$11.22 €9.99

-19.96%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R$12.77

$2.76 €2.46

-15.58%

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

$1.03 R$5.65

$2.22 €1.98

-53.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$3.21

$1.31 €1.16

-54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 R$7.93

$3.26 €2.91

-55.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 R$15.81

$4.59 €4.09

-37.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 R$7.04

$1.14 €1.01

12.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$8.28

$1.74 €1.55

-13.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R$8.10

$1.47 €1.31

0.68%

Eggs

$1.82 R$9.97

$4.09 €3.64

-55.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 R$35.92

$11.63 €10.36

-43.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 R$23.03

$6.94 €6.18

-39.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 R$40.13

$16.65 €14.83

-56.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 R$7.21

$2.21 €1.97

-40.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.79

$1.68 €1.50

-26.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 R$3.76

$1.89 €1.68

-63.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.45

$2.50 €2.22

-52.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$7.14

$1.77 €1.57

-26.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.70

$1.86 €1.66

-44.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 R$2.64

$1.60 €1.43

-70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$4.31

$0.75 €0.67

5.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 R$9.22

$6.75 €6.01

-75.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 R$39.58

$5.57 €4.96

29.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 R$5.91

$1.34 €1.19

-19.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 R$8.03

$2.67 €2.38

-45.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 R$4.15

$1.59 €1.41

-52.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.75 R$251

$45.07 €40.13

1.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 R$5.32

$3.96 €3.52

-75.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 R$3.30

$0.82 €0.73

-26.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 R$26.23

$16.66 €14.83

-71.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.49

$2.17 €1.93

-45.62%

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

$21.4K R$117.3K

$33.3K €29.7K

-35.87%

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

$31.0K R$170.3K

$36.2K €32.3K

-14.35%

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

$108 R$594

$163 €145

-33.66%

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

$12.52 R$68.7

$14.92 €13.29

-16.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.99 R$87.7

$34.60 €30.81

-53.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.82 R$114

$43.69 €38.90

-52.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.19 R$177

$15.37 €13.68

109.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 R$45.63

$9.01 €8.02

-7.66%

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

$257 R$1,407

$557 €496

-53.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K R$59.6K

$11.6K €10.3K

-6.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.83 R$230

$104 €92.9

-59.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 R$249

$32.84 €29.24

38.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 R$380

$93.7 €83.5

-26.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.5 R$420

$102 €91.3

-25.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 R$2,982

$1,325 €1,180

-58.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 R$1,662

$970 €864

-68.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 R$4,427

$2,276 €2,027

-64.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 R$4,097

$1,704 €1,517

-56.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,862 R$10.2K

$5,306 €4,724

-64.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,066 R$5,852

$3,956 €3,523

-73.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$554 R$3,040

$1,621 €1,443

-65.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

3.64

222.80%

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

Last update for Recife: November 1, 2026

Last update for Porto: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recife

$303 33.1%

Porto

$970 50.1% 220% $667

Groceries & Markets

Recife

$166 18.2%

Porto

$259 13.4% 55.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recife

$137 14.9%

Porto

$213 11% 55.5% $76

Eating Out

Recife

$115 12.6%

Porto

$223 11.5% 93.1% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Recife

$105 11.4%

Porto

$150 7.8% 43.2% $45

Getting Around

Recife

$53 5.8%

Porto

$59 3.1% 12.7% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Recife

$37 4.1%

Porto

$62 3.2% 64.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Recife versus $1,325 in Porto. 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 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Recife versus $55 in Porto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $259 – making Recife the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Recife

🇵🇹 Porto

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

03:46 3:46 AM

3 h ahead of Recife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,488,920

231,828

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Recife Porto 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Recife
Porto

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

Recife vs Porto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto costs about 111% more than Recife, 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 $1,375 per month in Recife and $2,904 in Porto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Recife, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $544 there versus $1,325 in Porto.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Recife and $55 in Porto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Porto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $916 in Recife and $1,936 in Porto. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Recife costs $916 versus $1,936 in Porto. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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