How expensive is it to live in Portugal? Not very...
How expensive is it to live in Portugal? Not very...

As you might have expected, life in Portugal is very cheap. Nonetheless, it is important to spend some time looking up the cost of living before you decide to buy a property in Portugal, whether you plan to live there or just want to buy a holiday home. In the end, you will soon find that Portugal has one of the lowest costs of living in Europe.

Lots of everyday products cost much less in Portugal than in the UK, although items imported from home explicitly for foreigners, such as baked beans, will understandably be more expensive. Fresh produce is less expensive at the many markets and often actually of better quality than fruit, vegetables, bread, dairy products and the like available at the supermarket.

The prices of both food and running a house are very reasonable. Travelling around the country, whether by train or car, is not expensive at all, which makes Portugal a very attractive country to live in and for holiday home owners.

Eat to live and live to eat

Restaurant prices in Portugal are 48% lower than in the UK and some clothing articles can be found at very reasonable prices, too. However, prepaid mobile tariffs for local calls (without discounts or saving plans) are very similar in both countries.

The monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the city centre of Lisbon costs less than half than in London and the selling price per square meter for an apartment in the city centre of Lisbon is 4 times less.