Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Portugal

Name: Portugal
Address: PT

For one person, living is cheaper in Portugal: $1,742 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States 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 the United States and in Portugal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,734 per month in the United States vs $1,742 in Portugal, rent included.

United States $2,734
Portugal $1,742

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in the United States vs $2,557 in Portugal, rent included.

United States $3,985
Portugal $2,557

A family of three spends $5,235 per month in the United States vs $3,373 in Portugal, rent included.

United States $5,235
Portugal $3,373

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,160) than in Portugal ($1,014–$2,351), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 57% higher than in Portugal on average.

Both the United States and Portugal are pricier than the global median – the United States by 101%, Portugal by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$13.36 €11.93

49.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$49.94 €44.60

60.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$9.87 €8.81

19.55%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$2.13 €1.90

160.56%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$1.98 €1.77

34.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.33 €1.19

63.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.87 €2.56

113.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$3.31 €2.96

139.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.08 €0.97

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.58 €1.41

127.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.56 €1.40

189.74%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$3.33 €2.97

28.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$11.37 €10.16

16.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$7.72 €6.89

63.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$15.09 €13.48

16.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.19 €1.96

142.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.46 €1.30

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.82 €1.62

143.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.38 €2.13

100.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.73 €1.54

71.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.91 €1.70

64.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.48 €1.32

48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.73 €0.65

221.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$6.27 €5.60

75.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$5.42 €4.84

177.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.30 €1.16

58.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.22 €1.99

70.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.29 €2.05

-15.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$43.82 €39.13

35.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.83 €3.42

-6.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.08 €0.96

74.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$17.04 €15.22

75.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.04 €1.82

-50.00%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$33.0K €29.5K

-12.95%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$37.8K €33.7K

-30.65%

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

$218 $218

$133 €119

63.83%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$20.11 €17.96

210.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$40.38 €36.06

84.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$41.96 €37.47

-0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$15.82 €14.13

44.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$8.70 €7.77

68.97%

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

$1,489 $1,489

$484 €433

207.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$11.6K €10.4K

117.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$87.1 €77.8

-37.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$39.82 €35.56

7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$89.1 €79.6

5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$103 €91.7

10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$1,060 €946

56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$839 €749

60.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,793 €1,601

49.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$1,341 €1,197

61.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$4,099 €3,661

-19.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$2,921 €2,609

-15.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$1,331 €1,189

222.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.73

75.60%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

Portugal

$839 48.2% 37.8% $509

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

Portugal

$249 14.3% 40.2% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Portugal

$194 11.1% 45.5% $161

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

Portugal

$196 11.3% 40.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Portugal

$143 8.2% 4.6% $6.3

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

Portugal

$62 3.6% 22.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

Portugal

$59 3.4% 16.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,620 in the United States vs $972 in Portugal. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,768 in Washington, DC and $1,608 in Lisbon.

Average salary: $4,549 in the United States vs $1,283 in Portugal. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 67% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 56% more in the United States.

Public transport is 62% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 3.5 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇵🇹 Portugal

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

4 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

10,347,892

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

United States Portugal 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
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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

United States vs Portugal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portugal is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 36% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 versus $972 in Portugal.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Portugal – part of why living there is about 36% cheaper overall.

$3,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Portugal, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Portugal is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.