JK: PORTUGAL: Cost of Living

How much do things Cost and How Much do People Earn?

When this was written the exchange rate was 1 Euro = 1.043 USD (pretty close to 1:1)

The minimum wage in Portugal is  €705 per month. I was told MANY working people only earn the minimum wage.

One of our tour guides was a young software engineer (C++ and Python). He said he earned approximately €1400 per month as an engineer. He also said he currently earned more money as a tour guide than he did as a software engineer.

A Google search says the median salary for all of Portugal (50% earn more, 50% earn less) is  €2600 per month. Portugal is consider a "low wage / low cost" country compared to the rest of the EU.

The Tour Guide said he'd also worked in Ireland as a programmer for a higher wage, but ultimately the weather brought him back to Portugal (summers here do seem to be decidedly sunny, warm and dry)

Our experience so far in Lisbon:

• Menu of the Day Lunch special =  €9 (glass of house wine, main course, dessert, coffee)
• coffee on an outdoor patio =  €2 - €3
• Beer at bar (500 ml) from  €3.5 - €4.5
• Beer in a grocery store (500 ml)  =  €1.3 - €1.6
• Bottle of Wine (grocery store) from  €3 to  €10
• Men's Haircut =  €16
• Dinner for two at a decent restaurant (wine, main course, dessert, coffee) = €60

John

(Guest Contributor)