One of the most common questions I get asked about living in Portugal is what is the cost of living. Being alive in America is really expensive and the affordability of Portugal was one of the things that attracted us to this wonderful country. Prices did seem to rise from when we first started researching to now, but it is still far more affordable than life back in Las Vegas.

This is a basic rundown of our monthly expenses living in Tavira. Every city will have different costs and everyone’s lifestyle is different but this can give you a general idea of what expenses are.

Monthly Costs:

Rent T2 with 1 bathroom near city center- €850

Electric avg- €70 in summer less in winter

Water -€40

Gas- €45 avg

Fiber Internet+cable+ 2 cells with lots of data- €80

Gym(just for me)- €38

Health insurance, private for both of us- €55 

Pet insurance for Bodhi and Wednesday- €26

Groceries+necessities – €500 

Gas for car -€45 a tank. Lasts about 2 -3 weeks depending on how much we drive

Car insurance- €250/year

Dinner out avg- €100 (approx twice a month @€50 each dinner)

Entertainment €100-150 (varies by month)

Total approx -€2000 

So like I mentioned, everyone has a different lifestyle and necessities. We walk almost everywhere in Tavira and use the car mostly to go to other towns. When we lived in Vegas our monthly expenses were 3500+. We don’t have car payments here because we bought our used car cash and we only have 1. We live in a very walkable town where there is always something going on, especially during the summer. Entertainment is usually festivals and such where we spend money on mostly food and drinks. There is also a lot to see and do for free. There are free concerts, shows, and festivals every night during the summer. If there isn’t something in Tavira, there is something in a town nearby so there is always entertainment.

So overall the cost of living here is much less than America but our quality of life has greatly increased which is much more valuable. 

Beautiful Tavira