Moving to Portugal and wondering what eating in Lisbon will really cost you? Good news: the Portuguese capital is still one of the best value food cities in Western Europe, with sunny terraces for most of the year. Here are the real prices for 2026, the local dishes to try first, the smartest places to shop and how much to budget each month depending on your lifestyle.
Prato do dia: the best lunch deal in town
The number one habit of Lisbon locals is the prato do dia, the dish of the day. On weekdays, most tascas (small, family-run neighbourhood restaurants) serve a lunch menu for €8 to €12: soup, a generous main course, a drink and often a coffee. Try a different tasca every week and you will soon know all the classics.
Two tricks help you pay even less. Ask for a meia dose, a half portion that is usually plenty and costs about a third less. And watch out for the couvert: the bread, olives or cheese placed on your table are charged if you eat them, usually €1 to €3. You can simply ask for them to be taken away.
Coffee, pastel de nata and pastelarias: the €1 ritual
In Portugal, coffee is a daily ritual rather than a treat. A bica (Lisbon’s word for an espresso) costs around €0.80 to €1 at the counter, and the famous pastel de nata, a flaky custard tart, around €1 to €1.40. The pastelaria on your street corner is often as good as the ones in Belém, without the queue. For breakfast, a torrada (thick buttered toast) or a pão com chouriço with a coffee costs €2 to €3, especially if you drink it standing at the counter like the locals.
Local dishes you have to try
Lisbon’s cooking is simple, generous and shaped by the Atlantic:
- Bacalhau: salted cod, the national dish with countless recipes. Start with bacalhau à Brás or pastéis de bacalhau, small cod fritters for about €1.50 each.
- Bifana: a soft roll filled with pork marinated in garlic and white wine, for €3 to €4.
- Grilled sardines: in June, during the Santos Populares festivals, the whole city grills them in the street.
- Caldo verde: a potato and kale soup served with a slice of chouriço.
- Francesinha: Porto’s giant sandwich covered in melted cheese and a beer sauce, perfect for a weekend trip by train.
The official Visit Portugal website presents the specialities of every region. Here are the everyday prices you will see most often in 2026 (indicative, they vary by neighbourhood):
| Item | Typical price in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Espresso (bica) at the counter | around €0.80 to €1 |
| Pastel de nata | around €1 to €1.40 |
| Coffee and torrada breakfast | around €2 to €3 |
| Bifana | around €3 to €4 |
| Prato do dia | €8 to €12 |
| Plate of grilled sardines | around €10 to €14 |
| Dish at Time Out Market | from €12 |
| Draught beer (imperial) | around €1.50 to €3 |
| Glass of house wine | around €2 to €4 |
Lisbon markets: for groceries and for going out
For groceries, head to the neighbourhood markets such as Arroios, 31 de Janeiro or Benfica. In the morning, the catch of the day and seasonal fruit and vegetables are often cheaper than in the supermarket, and stallholders are happy to help newcomers choose.
For going out, Time Out Market (Mercado da Ribeira in Cais do Sodré) gathers chefs’ stalls under one roof: pricier than a tasca, but great for an evening with colleagues. More local, Mercado de Campo de Ourique mixes traditional stalls with tasting counters, ideal for a glass of wine and a few petiscos on a Friday night. Food events are listed on the official Visit Lisboa website.
Supermarkets and your monthly grocery budget
Three chains dominate, with stores in every neighbourhood, many open until 9 or 10 pm, Sundays included: Pingo Doce for its good own brand and ready meals (around €3 to €6), Continente for the widest choice and its loyalty card, and Lidl for low prices on basics and weekly coupons in the Lidl Plus app.
If you cook most of your meals, around €160 to €200 a month in groceries is realistic for one person, and a good bottle of Portuguese wine starts at €3 to €4. In a shared flat, buying the basics together brings the bill down even further.
Office canteens, afterwork and tipping
At work, many large companies in Lisbon have a cafeteria (meals for around €4 to €6) or a lunch area with microwaves. Adopt the marmita too, the lunchbox your Portuguese colleagues prepare the night before.
After work, it is all about petiscos, the Portuguese answer to tapas: cod fritters, clams with garlic, cheese and grilled chouriço, for around €10 to €15 per person with drinks. Another almost free classic: grab a drink from a kiosk and watch the sunset from a miradouro such as Senhora do Monte or Graça. That is often where friendships start (see our tips on making friends in Lisbon).
Tipping is never compulsory: people round up in a tasca and leave 5 to 10 percent in a restaurant when the service was good.
How much should you budget for food each month?
Three realistic profiles for one person in 2026:
| Expense | Home cooking | Balanced mix | Lots of eating out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarket and market groceries | around €190 | around €160 | around €120 |
| Lunches out | around €20 | around €80 | around €150 |
| Coffees and pastéis de nata | around €20 | around €25 | around €30 |
| Evenings out, petiscos and drinks | around €30 | around €60 | around €120 |
| Indicative monthly total | around €260 | around €325 | around €420 |
The balanced mix is usually the most comfortable. For your other expenses, read our guide to the cost of living in Portugal.
If you move with Expat-U, your budget has even more breathing room. We recruit French, German and Dutch speakers who are EU citizens with good English for customer service and content moderation roles in their native language, in Lisbon and Porto. Shared accommodation is provided and paid for the whole length of your contract, bills and internet included. Your flight is refunded for French speakers and paid directly by the company for German and Dutch speakers. You get a 12-month renewable contract with paid training and a salary of around €1,060 gross per month, paid 14 times a year. With no housing to pay for, you keep around €900 to €1,000 a month to live on, which leaves room to enjoy the city, travel or save (see how much you can save in Portugal). Open positions are on our jobs in Portugal page, and the official EURES portal lets you compare living and working conditions across Europe.
FAQ
How much does a meal cost in Lisbon?
A weekday prato do dia costs €8 to €12, often with a drink and coffee. A full dinner in a tasca comes to around €15 to €20 with house wine.
What is a realistic monthly grocery budget for one person?
Around €160 to €200 a month if you cook most of your meals, mixing Lidl or Pingo Doce with your neighbourhood market.
Do you have to tip in Portugal?
No, tipping is not compulsory. People round up the bill and leave around 5 to 10 percent in restaurants when the service was good.
