Cost of living in Portugal for a family

What is the cost of living for a family in Portugal each month? How much is the rent in Portugal? What about school for the children? How much do I need per month for shopping?

These are recurring questions from all those who are considering living in Portugal. After all, the cost of living is one of the biggest concerns and this is quite normal: it is important to have a good financial vision of an expatriation to avoid unpleasant surprises as much as possible.

I will try to show you here the average monthly costs of a family of 4 people (a couple and two children) living in the north of Portugal, as well as the price difference with other areas of the country. Prices can vary greatly from region to region.

Cost of renting real estate in Portugal

Rental values in Portugal have increased considerably over the last two years due to the arrival of many foreigners. Housing is now the main cost of living for a family in Portugal.

In the region of Braga in the North of Portugal, it is possible to rent a T2 (2 bedroom apartment) for a price that varies between 400€ and 600€. The Portuguese rent varies according to the neighbourhood of course, but also to the condition of the house or apartment, whether it is a new construction or an old building (very common in Portugal).

According to data from the INE, the National Statistics Institute, a house of 80 square metres costs an average of 400 euros per month in Portugal, but this is only a national average and you might as well say that you won’t find anything to rent for this price in Lisbon, where you’ll have to reckon on around 1000€ for the same type of rental (and around 700€ in Porto).

Contrary to most European countries, it is much more interesting to buy a property in Portugal than to rent it. It is the law of supply and demand and you will see when you search for rentals in Portugal that there is much more supply for buying than for renting. Many properties are for sale and the rental market is heavily occupied by short term rentals.

Check out the following link if you would like to find out more about rental prices in 2019 in Portugal.

Additional costs of renting in Portugal

Now that you have taken note of the costs of renting in Portugal, it is important to add the various additional costs to the rent, such as gas, electricity, water or the telephone, television and internet package.

On average, you can count around 80 euros per month to pay the water bill (20€), electricity and gas (60€), for a family with 2 adults and 2 children. In winter, the bill rises due to the high use of heaters, which here are mostly electricity. It is important to note that electricity is expensive in Portugal and therefore the bill can really change during the winter period and because of the lack of insulation. It is therefore better to predict the costs by averaging over the year.

Here in Portugal, the most common is to subscribe to packages that include television, fixed phone, mobile and Internet. My flat rate with NOS is 73€ for television, landline, international call time, internet 400MB/s and mobile with 6GB of internet.

International calls can raise the bill, but you can usually find a good compromise for a flat rate around 50€/month.

Feeding costs in Portugal

When shopping, it is important to be aware of promotions. This is not essential if you shop in international stores like Intermarché or Lidl but it is very important for local supermarkets like Continente where it is not uncommon to find promotions around -50%.

The discount can be immediate or the amount is credited to your loyalty card, which I recommend you do, it’s very easy. Almost all supermarket chains offer discount cards. The most popular in Portugal are Continente, Pingo Doce, Auchan, Lidl, Mini Price and more recently Mercadona.

For your information, I am not loyal to any particular brand but I have accumulated around 250-300€ on my discount card, much more than in a lot of european countries. Food is the item of expenditure on which you will save in Portugal, so don’t be afraid to go to the markets and butcher shops where everything is much cheaper and better.

See the price list of some of the products in the basic basket, according to the data on the Precios Mundi website, which searches, among other things, the prices of products in supermarkets in different countries.

This table is originally in French but you can easily make the translation !

Cost of education in Portugal

An important factor in this calculation is the choice of private or public education, because even public schools have a cost.

Tuition fees in private schools in Portugal range between 150€ and 300€, taking into account compulsory activities. Many institutions charge extra fees for optional services such as dance classes, swimming, transport, ATL (a service that allows the child to stay longer after school), etc.

If you are considering public school (my choice), the price is considerably reduced. In Portugal, as schools are full-time, there is a fee for the children’s lunch as well as optional fees for extra activities and ATL, as is the case in the private sector.

The price of lunch varies from 0.73 to 1.46€ per meal and will be allocated to each family according to their income. The more income you declare (Documents to be shared with the school) the more you will pay for the education of your children in Portugal. The prize that concerns you is awarded according to the “class” (category calculated by the Social Security and Finance Department).

In my son’s public school, the monthly school fees vary between 60€ and 250€/month (ceiling). Of course the school is Portuguese, so there is no French / english language. French / English schools are private and often very expensive.

If you have children in public schools, you will also receive help to buy school supplies. Books for the first cycle (from pre-school to 4th grade) are free for all pupils. It is also possible to apply for transportation assistance and other benefits, which also take into account the income level of the families.

Cost of transport in Portugal?

This aspect of the cost of living in Portugal varies depending on where you live and whether or not you use a car. Concerning petrol, the price is very similar to that in some european countries. In November 2019, the price of a litre of petrol in Portugal is 1.495€ and if you want to live away from the big cities to pay less rent, petrol will contribute greatly to your monthly living budget.

I won’t dwell on the cost of transport and to find out more about the capital, you can consult the page on public transport in Lisbon. You will need to count 1.5€ for a one-way ticket and 6.4€ for a 24-hour ticket for bus, metro, tram and lifts.

Concerning the cost of public transport in Braga, in the north of Portugal, the price is about the same and it will cost you between 1.55€ and 2€ with the local company TUB, Braga Urban Transport. The ticket is integrated, meaning that you can get off one bus and get on another to complete the journey, or even come and go by paying for a single ticket (tickets are valid for 1 hour or 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending on the Crown).

The crowns change according to the distance travelled between the beginning and the end of the line :

• The longest journey is crown 3, the ticket costs 2€ and is valid for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Tickets for crown 1 cost €1.55 and are valid for 1 hour.
• Tickets for crown 1 cost €1.65 and are also valid for 1 hour.

If you make a prepaid card, the price is reduced by half and there are also advantages for elderly people, students, etc.

Cost of leisure in Portugal

There is more to life than work, school and food! You will have to think about your expatriation while also thinking about the cost of leisure activities in Portugal: outings, restaurants, family programs, trips, etc…

Of course, these expenses vary greatly, but they must be evaluated according to the cost of living for a family in Portugal. It depends on the leisure you choose, but here are the prices in Braga for some of the leisure activities that can make your weekends more fun:

Cinema in Portugal: from 2,50€ (on special offer) to 6,60€. There are special rates for groups or families, as well as promotions such as free tickets for children’s cinema screenings on Sunday mornings.

Exhibitions in Portugal: €3.50 per adult and half for children. These are the rpix of two exhibitions (LEGO and exotic animals) at the Braga Forum. As the capital is a very touristic city, the price will be closer to 10€ but it depends on what you want to see. To know the prices, I advise you to consult the page on the best museums of Lisbon on which I have posted the prices or the Lisbon guide on which you will also find indicative information on the cost of living in Portugal.

Restaurants in Portugal: eating out also has an impact at the end of the month, especially in Portugal. Prices are more accessible and therefore one tends to be less careful. Normally at lunchtime, restaurants in northern Portugal offer daily specials between €5 and €7 and usually include a soup, main course, dessert or drink and also coffee.

Prices will be higher at night, during tourist periods or in the capital Lisbon. You will find all prices and some restaurants more expensive than in some european countries but it’s all a matter of choice. You have to look for typical restaurants where a meal should not cost you more than 12€ per person.

Cost of living in Portugal: conclusion

As mentioned in this article, the cost of living in Portugal can vary by more or less 30% depending on the region you wish to move to and the lifestyle and habits of each family.

Although there is no exact amount, a survey conducted by RAP entitled “Adequate Income in Portugal”, revealed that to have a stable situation, a family consisting of a couple with children must earn 1,800 euros per month.

Given that the Portuguese minimum wage is €600 (in 2019), 3 minimum wages would be necessary and it is difficult to consider expatriating your family to Portugal if you and your partner plan to earn the minimum wage in Portugal.