Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santarem and Braga

For one person, living is cheaper in Santarem: $1,300 a month against $1,570 in Braga, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Braga outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Braga
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Braga Living Index

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Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Braga

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,570

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santarem and in Braga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,300 in Santarem versus $1,570 in Braga.

Santarem $1,300
Braga $1,570

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,014 in Santarem versus $2,246 in Braga.

Santarem $2,014
Braga $2,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,729 in Santarem versus $2,921 in Braga.

Santarem $2,729
Braga $2,921

Living in Santarem costs roughly 17% less than in Braga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santarem is 4% below, Braga is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 €10.94

$11.05 €9.83

11.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.39 €35.04

$47.37 €42.13

-16.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 €8.00

$8.96 €7.97

0.33%

Cappuccino

$1.71 €1.52

$1.86 €1.65

-8.06%

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

$1.78 €1.59

$2.15 €1.91

-17.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.22 €1.08

-5.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.29 €2.92

-34.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.29 €2.04

48.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.09 €0.97

4.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 €0.41

$2.13 €1.89

-78.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.74 €1.55

-37.36%

Eggs

$3.27 €2.91

$3.40 €3.03

-3.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 €9.83

$9.33 €8.30

18.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 €6.35

$7.64 €6.79

-6.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 €11.93

$15.14 €13.47

-11.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.38 €2.12

18.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.35 €1.20

0.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.85 €1.64

35.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.85 €2.54

-25.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$2.00 €1.78

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.85 €1.65

-16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.21 €1.08

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 €0.28

$0.95 €0.85

-67.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.53 €5.81

-13.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.14

$4.39 €3.91

31.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.25 €1.11

-2.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.17

$1.61 €1.43

121.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.68 €1.50

33.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 €50.2

$22.51 €20.03

150.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 €3.14

$4.21 €3.74

-16.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 €1.55

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.71

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.18 €1.94

-6.42%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$33.8K €30.0K

0.06%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$38.6K €34.4K

-0.66%

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

$130 €116

$109 €96.7

19.66%

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

$20.74 €18.45

$17.16 €15.26

20.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.81

$45.94 €40.86

21.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.97 €33.78

$44.03 €39.17

-13.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.00 €11.56

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 €5.91

$9.17 €8.16

-27.48%

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

$416 €370

$330 €293

26.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.4K

$9,772 €8,692

88.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 €69.3

$65.2 €58.0

19.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 €33.57

$36.54 €32.50

3.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$84.1 €74.8

27.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$97.7 €86.9

35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 €584

$905 €805

-27.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 €366

$744 €662

-44.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$1,408 €1,252

-25.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 €720

$1,048 €933

-22.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,167 €1,927

$2,496 €2,220

-13.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 €981

$1,865 €1,659

-40.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,068 €950

$1,273 €1,132

-16.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

3.55

34.08%

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

Last update for Santarem: October 12, 2026

Last update for Braga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santarem

$412 31.7%

Braga

$744 47.4% 80.6% $332

Groceries & Markets

Santarem

$226 17.4%

Braga

$250 15.9% 10.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santarem

$207 15.9%

Braga

$172 10.9% 16.9% $35

Eating Out

Santarem

$175 13.5%

Braga

$172 11% 1.8% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Santarem

$160 12.3%

Braga

$128 8.1% 20.2% $32

Getting Around

Santarem

$69 * 5.3%

Braga

$42 2.7% 38.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Santarem

$51 4%

Braga

$62 4% 21.7% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $656 in Santarem and $905 in Braga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braga pays 19% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Santarem vs $47.00 in Braga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $250 per month, with Santarem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Santarem

🇵🇹 Braga

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

Same time as Santarem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,671

193,349

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Santarem Braga 260 km

From you

Santarem
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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

Santarem vs Braga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santarem and Braga differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,300 vs $1,570 including rent). Santarem is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Braga. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $656 in Santarem versus $905 in Braga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $416 in Santarem versus $330 in Braga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Braga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,300 in Santarem versus $1,570 in Braga, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santarem but tight or insufficient in Braga. The gap between the two cities makes Santarem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Santarem and Braga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santarem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Braga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.