Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Portugal

Name: Portugal
Address: PT

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

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in Portugal

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

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

Spain $1,775
Portugal $1,742

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

Spain $2,606
Portugal $2,557

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

Spain $3,438
Portugal $3,373

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

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.91

$13.36 €11.93

24.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.74

$49.94 €44.60

11.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.15

$9.87 €8.81

15.20%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.16

$2.13 €1.90

13.62%

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

$2.68 €2.39

$1.98 €1.77

35.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.33 €1.19

34.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.87 €2.56

19.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.46

$3.31 €2.96

17.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.08 €0.97

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.58 €1.41

-6.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.56 €1.40

7.05%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$3.33 €2.97

2.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.66

$11.37 €10.16

24.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.44

$7.72 €6.89

7.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.47

$15.09 €13.48

7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.19 €1.96

11.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.46 €1.30

39.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.82 €1.62

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$2.38 €2.13

8.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.73 €1.54

5.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.91 €1.70

4.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.48 €1.32

-11.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.73 €0.65

5.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.68

$6.27 €5.60

1.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.04

$5.42 €4.84

4.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.22 €1.99

-5.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.29 €2.05

-28.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.39

$43.82 €39.13

-24.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.95

$3.83 €3.42

15.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.08 €0.96

36.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.31

$17.04 €15.22

46.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.04 €1.82

-13.24%

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

$35.5K €31.7K

$33.0K €29.5K

7.54%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$37.8K €33.7K

-18.99%

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

$149 €133

$133 €119

12.21%

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

$17.67 €15.78

$20.11 €17.96

-12.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.47

$40.38 €36.06

-21.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.50

$41.96 €37.47

5.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.66

$15.82 €14.13

-3.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.63

$8.70 €7.77

11.03%

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

$544 €486

$484 €433

12.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,471

$11.6K €10.4K

-8.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €75.8

$87.1 €77.8

-2.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.14

$39.82 €35.56

-6.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.6

$89.1 €79.6

0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.4

$103 €91.7

2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €943

$1,060 €946

-0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €721

$839 €749

-3.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,447

$1,793 €1,601

-9.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,113

$1,341 €1,197

-7.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,693

$4,099 €3,661

0.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,351

$2,921 €2,609

-9.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,785

$1,331 €1,189

50.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.73

-11.53%

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

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$808 45.5%

Portugal

$839 48.2% 3.8% $31

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

Portugal

$249 14.3% 8.5% $23

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

Portugal

$196 11.3% 18% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

Portugal

$194 11.1% 2.7% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

Portugal

$143 8.2% 0.6% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

Portugal

$59 3.4% 6.6% $4.2

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

Portugal

$62 3.6% 21.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $1,972 in Spain vs $1,283 in Portugal. 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

🇪🇸 Spain

🇵🇹 Portugal

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

21:13 9:13 PM

1 h behind Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

10,347,892

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Spain Portugal 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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