Last updated on 02-Feb-2025

Hello all! This is our Expense Tracker for 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal.

People often ask about the cost of living in Portugal, so we decided to share our numbers. We’ve been tracking all of our expenses each month and thought they may be of interest to others looking to relocate to Portugal, as budgeting is a very important part of the planning process. 

If you want to see the costs over a longer period, check out our expenses for 2021, 2022 and 2023.

So, here are our basic monthly expenses for 2024, by category.

Note 1: We are a middle-aged couple with no kids, so these numbers are for two adults. ALL costs in EUROS €.

Note 2: We are listing only the basic expenses because other categories (e.g. clothing, cosmetics, entertainment, travel, home improvements, gifts, etc.), are discretionary and subject to personal preferences, shopping habits, and available income. In that sense, however much you spend on these items now (converted to €) can be your baseline, if you want to keep a comparable standard.

Note 3: Rental costs and property prices can vary a lot according to the location, size, condition, and amenities of the property. We prefer newer construction and after renting for a while, decided to purchase a property in 2022. 

We currently live in a neighbourhood just north of Lisbon proper (Colinas do Cruzeiro), still in the metropolitan area but in another city (Odivelas). Our apartment has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a balcony / terrace, in a modern building with 2 elevators, enclosed parking space for 2 cars (box) + great access to ammenities like restaurants, shops and services.
Our monthly condo fee is €62.02.
Annual Home insurance = €130 and Property tax bill = €490.
We have air conditioning units for heating and cooling and only use gas for our (tankless) water heater.

Note 4: As residents, we are eligible for public healthcare in Portugal, and it has worked well when we needed it. We haven’t purchased private health insurance, although we have often used this FREE plan to access discounted rates on private services. 

Note 5: For reference regarding transportation, a monthly pass for unlimited travel in Lisbon (city) by subway/tram/bus costs €30 per person. The pass for unlimited access to the system in Lisbon and the surrounding metropolitan area costs €40.

Note 6: Some expenses like gasoline, utilities, groceries and eating out locally may vary a lot for months when we go on trips (we track travel expenses separately) or have visitors.  

We’ll update this page often so that you can see the numbers in the long run. If you have any questions or feedback, drop them in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!

These are for general reference only. Other people may spend more or less on these items.
Total expenses listed below = € 11,017.81 | Average = € 918.15 per month

Expenses 2024 = in euros €

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Image by Bruno from Pixabay