Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vila Real and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Real: $1,223 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Vila Real
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Vila Real Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Vila Real

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,223

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vila Real and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Vila Real versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Vila Real $1,223
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,790 in Vila Real versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Vila Real $1,790
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,356 in Vila Real versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Vila Real $2,356
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Vila Real costs roughly 45% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vila Real is 10% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 €8.17

$16.65 €14.91

-45.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.82 €24.92

$61.7 €55.3

-54.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 €6.81

$11.36 €10.17

-33.01%

Cappuccino

$1.10 €0.99

$2.97 €2.66

-62.96%

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

$1.70 €1.52

$2.29 €2.05

-25.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.74 €1.56

-35.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$3.31 €2.96

-53.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.16 €1.04

-21.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.91 €1.71

-27.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.51 €1.35

-20.53%

Eggs

$2.63 €2.36

$4.02 €3.60

-34.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 €8.66

$12.94 €11.59

-25.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 €6.98

$7.77 €6.96

0.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.29

$17.76 €15.91

-16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$2.30 €2.06

-26.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.73 €1.55

-23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.86 €1.66

-15.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.34

$2.59 €2.32

0.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.82 €1.63

-21.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.97 €1.76

-12.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.47 €1.32

-20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$0.72 €0.65

-40.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.64

$6.58 €5.90

-4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 €3.91

$5.61 €5.02

-22.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.36 €1.22

-19.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$2.14 €1.91

-23.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.33 €2.09

-45.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.62 €22.05

$44.68 €40.01

-44.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 €3.75

$3.85 €3.45

8.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.07 €0.96

58.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.81 €15.05

$16.46 €14.74

2.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.20 €1.97

-5.45%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$34.2K €30.6K

-7.45%

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

$37.4K €33.5K

$38.7K €34.7K

-3.47%

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

$109 €97.3

$161 €144

-32.64%

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

$16.62 €14.89

$18.41 €16.49

-9.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.77 €41.00

$32.74 €29.32

39.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.35 €28.97

$44.55 €39.90

-27.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.22 €9.15

$19.10 €17.10

-46.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.98

$9.60 €8.60

-7.19%

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

$328 €294

$668 €598

-50.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,782 €8,760

$17.6K €15.8K

-44.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 €58.1

$102 €91.4

-36.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.30 €28.04

$44.46 €39.82

-29.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 €75.8

$98.5 €88.2

-14.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 €69.3

$124 €111

-37.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 €703

$1,608 €1,440

-51.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 €431

$1,190 €1,066

-59.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 €905

$2,812 €2,519

-64.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 €685

$2,013 €1,803

-61.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,711 €1,533

$7,839 €7,021

-78.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,313 €1,176

$4,576 €4,098

-71.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 €963

$1,575 €1,411

-31.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

3.85

-7.79%

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

Last update for Vila Real: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vila Real

$481 39.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 147% $709

Groceries & Markets

Vila Real

$222 18.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 22.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vila Real

$171 14%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 24.2% $41

Eating Out

Vila Real

$140 11.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 72.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Vila Real

$116 9.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 42.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Vila Real

$50 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 27% $14

Getting Around

Vila Real

$42 3.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 49.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $785 in Vila Real and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 46% 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: $28 in Vila Real vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $272 per month, with Vila Real cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Vila Real

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

Same time as Vila Real

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,574

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Vila Real vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,223 in Vila Real and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Vila Real is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Vila Real. 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: $785 in Vila Real versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $328 in Vila Real versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Vila Real is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Vila Real and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Vila Real gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.