Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria and Porto

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $730 a month against $1,936 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index

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Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$730

/mo nomad

Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria and in Porto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $730 per month in Santa Maria vs $1,936 in Porto, rent included.

Santa Maria $730
Porto $1,936

A couple spends around $1,213 per month in Santa Maria vs $2,902 in Porto, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,213
Porto $2,902

A family of three spends $1,696 per month in Santa Maria vs $3,869 in Porto, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,696
Porto $3,869

Santa Maria is about 62% cheaper than Porto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Maria sits 46% below the global median, while Porto is 43% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 R$30.87

$14.53 €12.94

-61.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.54 R$184

$55.2 €49.12

-39.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.56 R$35.99

$11.22 €9.99

-41.53%

Cappuccino

$1.66 R$9.11

$2.76 €2.46

-39.86%

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

$0.96 R$5.26

$2.22 €1.98

-56.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.62

$1.31 €1.16

-49.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 R$8.29

$3.26 €2.91

-53.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 R$22.25

$4.59 €4.09

-11.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$5.21

$1.14 €1.01

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$8.07

$1.74 €1.55

-15.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.06

$1.47 €1.31

Eggs

$2.17 R$11.90

$4.09 €3.64

-46.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 R$48.29

$11.63 €10.36

-24.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 R$20.01

$6.94 €6.18

-47.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R$41.15

$16.65 €14.83

-54.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 R$12.85

$2.21 €1.97

5.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 R$9.58

$1.68 €1.50

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 R$10.95

$1.89 €1.68

5.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.72

$2.50 €2.22

-43.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.13

$1.77 €1.57

-36.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.25

$1.86 €1.66

-29.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 R$5.13

$1.60 €1.43

-41.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$4.25

$0.75 €0.67

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 R$12.01

$6.75 €6.01

-67.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.14 R$39.17

$5.57 €4.96

28.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.52

$1.34 €1.19

-11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R$15.01

$2.67 €2.38

2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 R$6.68

$1.59 €1.41

-23.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.19 R$226

$45.07 €40.13

-8.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.65

$3.96 €3.52

-69.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.02

$0.82 €0.73

-10.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 R$40.39

$16.66 €14.83

-55.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 R$6.37

$2.17 €1.93

-46.54%

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

$22.2K R$122.0K

$33.3K €29.7K

-33.33%

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

$29.8K R$163.7K

$36.2K €32.3K

-17.69%

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

$50.6 R$278

$163 €145

-68.99%

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

$15.83 R$86.9

$14.92 €13.29

6.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.69 R$91.6

$34.60 €30.81

-51.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.11 R$121

$43.69 €38.90

-49.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 R$61.0

$15.37 €13.68

-27.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 R$29.51

$9.01 €8.02

-40.29%

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

$146 R$803

$557 €496

-73.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,737 R$15.0K

$11.6K €10.3K

-76.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 R$316

$104 €92.9

-44.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.91 R$224

$32.84 €29.24

24.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 R$496

$93.7 €83.5

-3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 R$322

$102 €91.3

-42.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 R$1,472

$1,325 €1,180

-79.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 R$864

$970 €864

-83.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 R$3,348

$2,276 €2,027

-73.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 R$1,949

$1,704 €1,517

-79.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 R$8,804

$5,306 €4,724

-69.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R$3,577

$3,956 €3,523

-83.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 R$3,220

$1,621 €1,443

-63.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

174.73%

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

Last update for Santa Maria: November 3, 2026

Last update for Porto: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Maria

$188 25.7%

Porto

$259 13.4% 38.1% $71

Accommodation & Living

Santa Maria

$157 21.6%

Porto

$970 50.1% 516% $813

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Maria

$111 15.3%

Porto

$150 7.8% 34.6% $39

Eating Out

Santa Maria

$107 14.6%

Porto

$223 11.5% 109% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Maria

$83 11.4%

Porto

$213 11% 156% $130

Getting Around

Santa Maria

$51 7%

Porto

$59 3.1% 16.8% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Maria

$33 4.5%

Porto

$62 3.2% 87.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $268 in Santa Maria 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 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Santa Maria versus $55 in Porto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $259 – making Santa Maria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🇵🇹 Porto

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

3 h ahead of Santa Maria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,735

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Maria Porto 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Maria
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

Santa Maria vs Porto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto costs about 165% more than Santa Maria, 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 $1,096 per month in Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $268 there versus $1,325 in Porto.

Kindergarten costs $146 per month in Santa Maria and $557 in Porto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Porto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Maria, where all-in costs run around $730, than in Porto at $1,936. In Santa Maria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Porto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Maria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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