Cost of Living in Setúbal in 2026

What does it really cost to live in Setúbal in 2026? Rent: $800/mo. Food: $300/mo. Total: ~$1,462/mo. Budgets for singles, couples & families.

A typical monthly budget in Setúbal for one person lands near $1,462, with rent ($800) the dominant line item.

Compared with New York City as the benchmark (100), Setúbal's cost index is 23, so each $1,000 budgeted in NYC stretches to about $4,348 here.

What sets Setúbal apart: Transport runs about 53% below the Europe average ($34 vs $73/month).

Setúbal Monthly Cost Breakdown (Single Person)

Where Setúbal Ranks

Setúbal comes in at position 6/11 on the Portugal affordability table — neither the cheapest nor the priciest urban option in the country.

Globally, Setúbal is the 197th cheapest of 744 tracked cities, and the 26th cheapest of 246 in Europe (regional average: $2,138/month).

Rent: The Number That Matters Most

A one-bedroom rental costs around $800 per month, which is about 55% of total monthly outgoings — the single biggest line item in nearly every household.

Household Cost Estimates

How to Interpret Setúbal's Cost Profile

For relocation planning, Setúbal should be treated as a structured budget rather than a simple cheap-or-expensive label. Rent takes 55% of the total, essentials account for $1,262, and the remaining flexible spend is about $200 per month before personal upgrades.

Against the New York City baseline of 100, Setúbal scores 23. The annual single-person cost is about $17,544, while a couple should expect around $2,050/month and a family of four around $2,915/month. Those household figures are important because shared rent can make a city look far more affordable for couples than for solo movers.

Budget Pressure Points

The largest monthly line item is Rent at $800, equal to 55% of the total. The second-largest is Food & groceries at $300. Rent is usually the largest swing factor between neighborhoods and household types, while food & groceries is the daily spending category most affected by cooking habits and dining out. Together they explain why the same salary can feel comfortable in one city and tight in another.

• Fixed monthly floor: rent, utilities, healthcare, transport, and groceries total about $1,262 before leisure or discretionary spending.
• Flexible monthly room: leisure and optional lifestyle spending are roughly $200, which is the first place to adjust if your real costs run high.
• Rent sensitivity: every 10% change in rent moves the total budget by about $80/month.
• Income comfort line: modest living starts near $2,250/month gross, while comfortable living is closer to $3,500/month gross.

Local and Regional Ranking Context

Within Portugal, Setúbal ranks 6th cheapest out of 11 tracked cities. It is 6% below the country average of $1,558/month. Regionally, it ranks 26th of 246 in Europe and sits 32% below the regional average of $2,138.

This ranking context is often more useful than the raw total. A city can be expensive globally but reasonable for its country, or cheap globally but still one of the higher-cost places in its local market. Setúbal should therefore be compared both against nearby alternatives and against your personal income target.

Cities to Compare Before Deciding

Before treating Setúbal as a final choice, compare it with cities that sit close to the same monthly budget. Similar totals reveal whether you are paying for housing, transport convenience, food prices, or a broader lifestyle premium.

• Puerto del Rosario, Spain — $1,463/month, very close to Setúbal.
• Katowice, Poland — $1,463/month, very close to Setúbal.
• Catania, Italy — $1,454/month, very close to Setúbal.
• Murcia, Spain — $1,478/month, very close to Setúbal.

Who Setúbal Fits Best

Setúbal works best for people whose income clears the fixed-cost floor with enough margin for savings. If your net income only matches the $1,462 monthly estimate, the city is technically possible but fragile: one rent increase, medical bill, or travel month can erase the buffer. If your net income is at least 25–35% above the estimate, the city becomes easier to manage because food, transport, and leisure choices stop competing with rent.

Use this page as a planning snapshot, not a guarantee. Neighborhood choice, lease terms, household size, insurance, commuting patterns, and how often you eat out can move the final number meaningfully. The safest next step is to compare Setúbal with at least two nearby alternatives, then test your salary or budget against the full monthly breakdown rather than relying on the headline total alone.

Setúbal Cost Fingerprint

Setúbal is middle-of-the-pack on global cost, with no single category standing out, offset by transport that runs 48% below the world median. A single person needs roughly $1,462/mo to live here comfortably; a couple $2,050/mo. Rent stays a manageable 23% of a comfortable local salary.

What keeps costs down: transport, rent come in below the global median, which is where most of the savings in Setúbal come from.

Rent Bands by Area Type

What the Numbers Mean in Practice

On a comfortable local income, rent absorbs about 23% of gross pay, leaving roughly $2,238/month after essentials. Measured in working time, a month's rent costs about 37 hours of work, a monthly transit pass about 2 hours, a café coffee about 3 minutes, and a fast-food combo about 4 minutes. A remote worker on a $4,000/month contract would keep about $2,538 per month here, and a retired couple should plan for roughly $2,255/month.

Setúbal ranks 197 of 744 tracked cities by monthly cost for a single person, placing it in the 26th percentile globally.

Who Setúbal Works Well For

• Remote workers on USD income — A $4,000/mo remote salary leaves roughly $2,538/mo after essentials — real savings, not survival.
• First-time movers on a local salary — Rent takes only 23% of a comfortable local income — the healthy threshold most planners recommend.
• Retirees and families budgeting for healthcare — Routine healthcare is covered by the public system here, so residents carry no recurring monthly premium in this budget — expect taxes, contributions or small co-pays instead of a private plan.
• Car-free lifestyles — Public transport costs about $34/mo — most residents genuinely don't need a car.

Costs Newcomers Underestimate

• transport is 48% below the world median — many newcomers over-budget here and are pleasantly surprised.
• Healthcare does not appear as a monthly bill here because the public system covers routine care — it is funded through taxes and payroll contributions instead, so factor that into your net salary, not your monthly budget.

What Things Actually Cost in Setúbal — 34+ Everyday Prices

Prices are shown in USD so they can be compared across cities, with a realistic low–high range instead of false point precision. Each item is anchored to a mid-2026 New York City price and scaled by Setúbal's cost index of 23 (NYC = 100). Treat them as planning estimates, not receipts.

Groceries in Setúbal

Restaurants & drinks in Setúbal

Transport in Setúbal

Personal care & health in Setúbal

Lifestyle & entertainment in Setúbal

Home services in Setúbal

Researched and written by The SnapCol Team — we maintain the SnapCostOfLiving dataset and review every Setúbal figure against our own category model before publishing.