Cost of Living in Portugal
Dois pregos e dois finos, please! (€8.55 per person at Dona Petisca, Braga)
So, a couple of weeks after writing the last post, I tweaked my schedule again. Luke and I (what I mean by that is, Luke) had a look at the numbers and it turns out that if I do an extra 45 mins of teaching a day, I should be able to cover half of ALL our monthly expenses and then some. Of course, there is no guarantee that I’ll actually teach the full 5.5 hours per day - there’s always the possibility of no-shows, cancellations and unreserved spots, but hopefully, even with these setbacks, I’ll be able to cover most of my share of things. So, that’s great news! It makes me feel pretty good knowing I can cover my own expenses.
The bad news is, I’m waking up earlier than I’d like … Not the end of the world, but I’m also working full-time hours now, when you include the prep time, note-making and feedback. I was enjoying working part-time, but, alas, being responsible and financially independent does actually make me feel better than sleeping in an extra half hour (or at least that’s what I’m telling myself!). I still think it’s pretty awesome that I can cover all my expenses teaching English online for a pretty measly rate. That says more about the cost of living in Portugal than anything else, though! So, now the target is to eventually work for a platform that pays better, so I can go back to my previous schedule. 🙂
Going back to the cost of living in Portugal; people often ask us about the specifics. So, in case anyone else is interested, I thought I’d share some numbers with you!
The cost of living in Portugal varies quite a bit depending on where you are. Lisbon is very expensive, on par with Dublin for rent and eating out. Porto is more affordable than Lisbon, but you might still be looking at over €14 for a main course at lunch. The further away you get from these big cities, the cheaper the accommodation and food.
We live in the north of Portugal and we’re not in Porto. I just had a quick look on Idealista.pt and in our area, you can still find 2-bed rentals from €800/month. Here, you can eat a main course at lunch for €8-9 and if this is the “plate of the day” or “the menu of the day” then €8-9 could cover a starter, main course, drink, coffee and a dessert. I kid you not. My favourite cafe in our city would cover all that for €8.60 on a weekday. To find these kinds of prices, you just need to avoid the tourist traps! Don’t worry, I’m not forgetting the important number here; a 20cl glass of Portuguese beer will only set you back €1.80 on average, in our area.
Now for utilities, etc. Keeping in mind we live in a 3-bed apartment and we’re 2 humans and 3 fluffs; over the past 3 months, we’ve spent on average €49.41 on electricity, €24.99 on water, sewerage and bins, €74.60 for unlimited calls and texts, x2 5Gb Data, tv and internet, and I pay €26.57 per month on health insurance. I’d love to tell you how much we spend on groceries per month, but I’d have to get Luke to go through his statements…
Ok, I got Luke to go through his statements! Everyone: “Thanks, Luke!” Over the last 3 months, we spent on average - but May was particularly expensive and kind of skewed our numbers, €407.43.
Just a couple more useful numbers for reference: a man’s haircut will set you back €12 and a woman’s haircut will set you back €26.
So, what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments or in a private message somewhere what you think of these numbers and how it compares to where you are. Just out of curiosity! It might be interesting for other readers, too.
Cool, thanks for reading! :D
