Cost of Living: Lisbon vs Faro (2026)

Portugal vs Portugal — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Lisbon

Faro

$1,616/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,077/mo

−$3k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$7k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

IFICI (NHR 2.0)

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

IFICI (NHR 2.0)

Freelance setup

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Trabalhador Independente

VAT-free under €15k
21.4% social
€900/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRFaro is 33% cheaper on rent ($1,077/mo vs $1,616/mo). Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Lisbon edges ahead 79 to 74. Faro isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇵🇹 Lisbon

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇵🇹 Faro

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Lisbon vs Porto

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Lisbon

Metric

Faro

$567/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$509/mo✓

$7,362

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$5,148✓

83 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

83 / 100

0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.7 / 100k

7.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

7.2 / 100k

67 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

70 / 100

81°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

82°F

48°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

48°F

✓238 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

49 Mbps

10.6 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

7 μg/m³✓

81 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

78 / 100

8.1 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.1 / 10

6.7 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

6.7 / 9

67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

67 / 100

72/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

72/100

$52k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$52k

2.4% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.4% · Boringly steady

78/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

78/100 — Mostly stable

96/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

96/100

A median Software Engineer in Lisbon takes home $3,150/mo under Standard employee. In Faro: $3,150/mo under Standard employee.

🎯 Lisbon's IFICI (NHR 2.0) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,691/mo instead.

🎯 Faro's IFICI (NHR 2.0) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,691/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$64k

💰

Gross income

$64k

−$19k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$19k

−$7k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$7k

$38k/yr

$3k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$38k/yr

$3k/mo

−$40k

🏠

Cost of living

−$31k

−$3k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$7k/yr✓

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Faro

$540/mo cheaper on rent alone

Sun

How much sky you actually get

65% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

68% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.5h

Shortest day

Dec

9.6h

14.9h

Longest day

Jun

14.7h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

stable →

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

fintechhealthtechgreentechai

Industries

tourismreal-estateagricultureservices

active

Startup ecosystem

nascent

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

Partner pathway

Recognized (2+ yr)

união de facto

€920/mo

Retiree visa

€920/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

10 wk

Gestational limit

10 wk

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Lisbon vs Faro — Common Questions

Is Lisbon cheaper than Faro?▾

Faro is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1077/month there vs $1616/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lisbon or Faro?▾

Faro is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lisbon has a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 and Faro has 0.69 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lisbon or Faro?▾

Lisbon edges ahead 79 to 74. Faro isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Lisbon or Faro?▾

Lisbon: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). Faro: Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (moderate requirements, 2 years (renewable for 3-year periods)). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Lisbon vs Faro?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1077/month in Faro, $1616/month in Lisbon (Numbeo). That's 33% cheaper rent in Faro.