There is quite a bit of information out there about how much it costs to live in Portugal generally and the Algarve particularly. Obviously, this amount will vary wildly depending on the minimum requirements of the lifestyle you are accustomed to. If roughing it for you means making do with only one housekeeper and one gardener, then your monthly nut is going to be considerably bigger than someone living in a van down by the river.
- Cost Of Living In The Algarve: A Detailed Breakdown - HuffPost, 06/15/2017:
"An Algarve Starter Budget
Groceries: 200 euros per person
Entertainment (dining out, movies, bars, etc.): 200 euros per person
Electricity/Water/Gas: 90 euros
Telephone/Cable TV/Internet: 70 euros
Transportation: 75 euros
Miscellaneous Expenses (home goods and personal items, including local health insurance): 150
TOTAL: 785 euros/month"
- Everything You Need to Know about The Algarve - International Living, with annoyingly no date, but figures referenced as from 2019:
"The following monthly budget is based on the cost of living for a couple living in a coastal city in the Algarve. Being a popular holiday spot means rental prices are higher here than in other parts of Portugal.
Housing (rent for a furnished two-bedroom apartment) $910 to $1,877
Utilities (Gas, water, electricity, phone, internet) $240
Groceries $495
Entertainment (dining out twice per week; cultural activities) $430
Household help (maid twice per month, three hours per day) $50
Health Insurance $100
Transportation (car expenses/train/Uber/taxis) $2000
Incidentals $250
Total $2,675 to $3,642"
Regarding the above, let's assume that $2,000 a month on transportation is a typo. Do they even have Uber in the Algarve? Have to look that up.
Whaddaya know, from Using Uber In Portugal, Portugalist, March 2020:
"Once banned in Portugal, Uber is now available in several cities in Portugal like Lisbon, Porto, Braga, and across the Algarve. It’s also not the only taxi app that you can use in Portugal. There are plenty of others like Bolt (previously Taxify) and Free now (previously MyTaxi). ... The Algarve is a big place, so that doesn’t mean it’s available everywhere on the Algarve. You won’t have a problem getting an Uber in Faro and the coastal towns of Albufeira, Lagos, and Armação de Pêra, but you may struggle to find an Uber in the more rural parts of the Algarve."
Portugalist is a great source of practical advice for visiting and living in Portugal, so it is not surprising that James has provided us with information on this topic. Cost Of Living In The Algarve: The Breakdown, Dec 2019:
"The cost of living in the Algarve is also very affordable, particularly when it comes to food and drink. It’s possible for a couple to live in the Algarve on €800 – €1,200 per month, although outgoings obviously vary from person to person: some live on less but some live on a lot more."
See the article for a topic to topic cost breakdown.
If you want to get really fine-grained, Algarve Removals (Cost of Living in the Algarve Portugal) digs deep into the details as of 2017. For example:
"Milk (regular), (1 liter) 0.58€ (0.49–0.75)
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 1.02€ (0.74–1.50)
Rice (white), (1kg) 0.83€ (0.65–1.00)
...
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment 88.06€ (51.00–130.00)
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 0.14€ (0.08–0.27)
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 26.71€ (20.00–38.00)"
There is enough information there to make your own calculations based on your lifestyle, inflating a little to account for three years.
Cost of Living Algarve by Numbeo provides a very current version of the above, compiled May, 2020. Even better, they let you choose the currency type. In fact, the more I look, the more I like this site. I will be returning to explore it further soon.
Something I will be doing soon is working out a budget for our family based on our needs and using the most up-to-date info about the prices of staples, etc. I like the percentage breakdown in the Numbeo pie chart above, I will be using that.
Header image based on the photo brass tacks by MicroAssist
Additional photos:
Danish cheddar cheese, by Bob Peters from Leeds, UK
Footer image based on the photo Red cabbage cross section, by Amada44