How Much Does It Cost to Live In Coimbra?
Coimbra is a city and a municipality in Portugal.
It is also the fourth-largest urban center in Portugal and the largest city of the district of Coimbra.
Coimbra is located on the river Mondego and is considered the learning capital of Portugal with the oldest university in the country.
Since it’s a university city, it’s a bit on the cheaper side, but still, with so many different lifestyles, the amount of money you spend here completely depends only on your priorities.
Generally, Coimbra is a nice place to visit and to live in, since it’s not too expensive.
Portugal : Cost of Living by City
RESTAURANTS
Having a meal is not really a problem in Coimbra, since the city has a lots of restaurants, usually all the fancy one located in the Old City. You can find many of those, but be careful and ask to see the prices of the meals first. You can also find many inexpensive restaurants, where you can eat a delicious meal for only 8$.
MARKETS
It is definitely much cheaper to buy your own groceries in Coimbra and cook in your house (and considerably healthier) than to eat out in, albeit delicious, Coimbra’s restaurants. Shopping for groceries will set you back around 150$ a month, but you can find fresh produce at much lower prices in Coimbra’s many open markets.
TRANSPORTATION
Most of the things to see and do in Coimbra, and most of the places to eat, drink and sleep are within reasonable walking distance of each other and of the rail station, in Baixa. This is why you can get a bike and save a lot of money on transportation in this city. If you have to use it, though, a one-way ticket will cost you less than 2$, while a monthly pass costs around 40$.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities, generally speaking, are rather cheap – especially since most people would expect Portugal’s prices to be through the roof. In an apartment with two people, of about 85m2 in size, all basic utilities like electricity, gas, heating, cooling, garbage services and water cost just a bit above 100$. Internet is rather inexpensive too, costing around 30$.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Coimbra, like other Portugal’s cities offers many cultural sights, but it also has many cinemas, theaters and other leisure opportunities, and a ticket for a movie in a cinema will cost you around 7$. Indulging in sports and fitness is more expensive, like in most countries. If you want a gym or a fitness club membership, it will amount up to almost 46$.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Since it’s the fourth largest urban center in Portugal, Coimbra has many large shopping malls. It also has many independent shops where you can buy unique pieces of clothing. However, the prices aren’t low. You’ll have to pay up to 95$ for quality jeans like Levi’s, while running sneakers of quality brands like Nike cost around 70$.
RENT PER MONTH
A decent one-room apartment with a 20–25 minutes commute to the center of the city, will cost you around 450$ a month. It will, of course, be twice as much in the very center of the city but at least you’ll be well located. If you’re a student and want to be close to the university, renting a room will cost around 230–280$ a month, and a larger apartment for the whole family will come close to 850$.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Coimbra
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $8.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $1.60 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.98 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $0.67 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.31 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.99 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $1.83 |
| Monthly Pass | $40.02 |
| Gasoline | $1.71 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $105.21 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.21 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $41.71 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $46.11 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $8.58 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $7.89 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $95.92 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $28.23 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $69.32 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $450.22 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $334.60 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $851.84 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Coimbra?
Groceries are, like in most countries and cities, the biggest expense for the people of Coimbra, and this is understandable since they’re necessary for literally everyone.
Taking into consideration that rent is the single most expensive aspect of living in Portugal, it’s no wonder that it’s the second biggest expense for those living in this gorgeous city.
Transportation is next on the list, with 16% of one’s income being spent on buses, trams and cars.
As in most countries, clothing and apparel are the least of everyone’s worries.
Average Costs Breakdown
Coimbra: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
In Coimbra, the minimum monthly wage is just a little over 800$.
This value is net and is paid 14 times a year – that’s right, they have as much as two additional salaries per year!
The salaries in Portugal (and Coimbra) are paid 14 times: 13th month is usually paid in August and the 14th in December – what a great aspect of living in this country!
The standards here are high, and with an average salary of around 900$, you can easily manage all your expenses, cover them all, be able to travel and even save some money without having to worry about your existence.
Even those that earn a minimum wage can easily live here and make ends meet without any problems.
Cost of Living by City in Coimbra
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Braga | 48.55 |
| Funchal | 50.9 |
| Lisbon | 54.16 |
| Porto | 50.43 |
