Cost of Living inSetúbal, Portugal
Image credit: Jules Verne Times Two
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Portugal: $42,197/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 51% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
Happiness
6.0 / 10
#54 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Public Education
Public-schooling rules are set nationally for Portugal; Setúbal-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.
Quality
Good public schools
Expat access
Available to residents
conditionalInstruction
Portuguese
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Portugal’s public system is broadly solid, though the experience is strongest for families comfortable in Portuguese.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident foreign families can enroll, but day-to-day schooling is mainly in Portuguese and local assignment rules still apply.
📋 Homeschooling
Legal with registrationHomeschooling (ensino doméstico) is legal and regulated. Parents must register and the student is linked to a reference school. Annual assessments are required. Portugal has become a popular base for worldschooling families, especially in Lisbon and the Algarve.
Homeschool legality in Portugal — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Portugal.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$1,200
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$2,400
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Setúbal is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Portugal.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
StrongGood national coverage, strong doctor availability, and deep nursing capacity support this rating.
Public care
GoodBroad public coverage and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong support this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
83/100
2023
Physicians
5.85/1k
2022
Hospital beds
3.48/1k
2022
Out of pocket
28%
2024
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
82.4 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
15/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
1.7/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedCountry-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Portugal yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-05-18
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2025 annual wages in Setúbal, Portugal · Source: INE (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Long-Term Visa Programs
digital nomad
D8 Digital Nomad VisaMigrated from legacy digital_nomad_visas row 1
retirement
D7 Passive Income Visainvestment
Portugal Golden Visa Fund Investmentinvestment
Portugal Golden Visa Research Donationworking holiday
Working Holiday VisaQuick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Setúbal compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.0x further in Setúbal than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Portugal here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Setúbal cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Setúbal is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 51% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Setúbal. We are using the country-level cost index for Portugal here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Setúbal compare with New York City?
Rent in Setúbal is about 75% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Portugal here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Setúbal?
Groceries in Setúbal are about 53% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 54% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Portugal here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Setúbal
Setúbal is a port city in Portugal, with a population around 120,000, located on the north bank of the Sado River estuary about 50 kilometers south of Lisbon. The city is the third-largest port in Portugal after Lisbon and Sines, with a long tradition of sardine canning, and now anchors a substantial Volkswagen Autoeuropa assembly plant just outside town that builds the T-Roc and other models. The surrounding Arrábida Natural Park and Tróia peninsula across the estuary draw weekend visitors from Lisbon. Climate is Mediterranean with hot dry summers and mild wet winters. Portuguese is universal; English is widely spoken in tourism and the automotive supply chain. Fertagus trains and the A2 motorway reach Lisbon in about 45 minutes, putting Lisbon Portela airport within practical reach.
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