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City comparison

Cascais vs Porto: which is better to live in?

By The Living in Europe editors · Updated · How we research

Cascais Portugal · €2,050/mo Porto Portugal · €1,850/mo

Quick verdict

Porto is the cheaper of the two: our estimate for a single person is about €200 a month less than Cascais, mostly because of rent. Both are in Portugal, so the visa rules, taxes and healthcare system are the same: the choice comes down to cost, climate and lifestyle.

Choose Cascais for

  • Family life
  • Flights home
  • English-friendliness
  • Safety

Choose Porto for

  • Affordability
  • Culture
  • Nightlife
  • Lower living costs

Cascais vs Porto at a glance

CascaisPorto
Country Portugal Portugal
Single budget / month€2,050€1,850
Couple budget / month€3,050€2,700
1-bed rent, center€1,300€1,100
Winter highs (Dec to Feb)15°C / 60°F14°C / 58°F
Summer highs (Jun to Aug)25°C / 77°F25°C / 77°F
Sunshine (hours/yr)3,0892,468
City sizeMid-size cityLarge city
CoastalYesYes
Direct flights to the USYesYes
Affordability●●●●●●●●●●
Sunny, warm climate●●●●●●●●●●
English-friendliness●●●●●●●●●●
Safety●●●●●●●●●●
Walkability●●●●●●●●●●
Public transport●●●●●●●●●●
Nature & green space●●●●●●●●●●
Beach life●●●●●●●●●●
Mountains nearby●●●●●●●●●●
Culture●●●●●●●●●●
Nightlife●●●●●●●●●●
Family life●●●●●●●●●●
Remote-work scene●●●●●●●●●●
Expat community●●●●●●●●●●
Flights home●●●●●●●●●●
Calm, slower pace●●●●●●●●●●

Cost of living: Cascais or Porto?

By our estimates, a comfortable mid-range life costs about €2,050 a month for one person in Cascais and €1,850 in Porto, rent included. For a couple it’s €3,050 vs €2,700, and for a family of four €4,300 vs €3,900.

Rent drives most of the gap: a one-bedroom in the center runs about €1,300 in Cascais against €1,100 in Porto, while a monthly transit pass costs - vs €40. Want to plug in your own lifestyle? Use the cost of living calculator.

Climate and weather

Winters average highs of about 15°C (60°F) in Cascais and 14°C (58°F) in Porto. In summer it’s roughly 25°C vs 25°C. Cascais gets about 3,089 hours of sunshine a year and Porto about 2,468.

Climate in Cascais Avg high Avg low (°C)
Average daily high and low temperature by month in Cascais0°10°20°30°Jan high: 15°C / 59°FFeb high: 16°C / 60°FMar high: 17°C / 63°FApr high: 19°C / 67°FMay high: 21°C / 69°FJun high: 24°C / 74°FJul high: 26°C / 78°FAug high: 26°C / 79°FSep high: 25°C / 77°FOct high: 22°C / 72°FNov high: 18°C / 65°FDec high: 16°C / 60°FJan low: 9°C / 47°FFeb low: 9°C / 48°FMar low: 11°C / 51°FApr low: 12°C / 54°FMay low: 13°C / 56°FJun low: 16°C / 60°FJul low: 17°C / 63°FAug low: 17°C / 63°FSep low: 17°C / 62°FOct low: 15°C / 58°FNov low: 12°C / 53°FDec low: 9°C / 49°F15Jan16Feb17Mar19Apr21May24Jun26Jul26Aug25Sep22Oct18Nov16Dec

3,089 hours of sunshine a year · 636 mm of rain a year · Source: Monte Estoril 1931-1960 normals (IPMA) via the Wikipedia climate table; older normals, so treat as approximate

Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
MonthAvg highAvg low
Jan15°C / 59°F9°C / 47°F
Feb16°C / 60°F9°C / 48°F
Mar17°C / 63°F11°C / 51°F
Apr19°C / 67°F12°C / 54°F
May21°C / 69°F13°C / 56°F
Jun24°C / 74°F16°C / 60°F
Jul26°C / 78°F17°C / 63°F
Aug26°C / 79°F17°C / 63°F
Sep25°C / 77°F17°C / 62°F
Oct22°C / 72°F15°C / 58°F
Nov18°C / 65°F12°C / 53°F
Dec16°C / 60°F9°C / 49°F
Climate in Porto Avg high Avg low (°C)
Average daily high and low temperature by month in Porto0°10°20°30°Jan high: 14°C / 57°FFeb high: 15°C / 59°FMar high: 17°C / 63°FApr high: 18°C / 65°FMay high: 20°C / 68°FJun high: 24°C / 74°FJul high: 25°C / 78°FAug high: 26°C / 78°FSep high: 24°C / 75°FOct high: 21°C / 69°FNov high: 17°C / 63°FDec high: 14°C / 58°FJan low: 5°C / 41°FFeb low: 6°C / 43°FMar low: 8°C / 46°FApr low: 9°C / 48°FMay low: 12°C / 53°FJun low: 15°C / 58°FJul low: 16°C / 61°FAug low: 16°C / 61°FSep low: 15°C / 58°FOct low: 12°C / 54°FNov low: 9°C / 48°FDec low: 7°C / 44°F14Jan15Feb17Mar18Apr20May24Jun25Jul26Aug24Sep21Oct17Nov14Dec

2,468 hours of sunshine a year · 1,237 mm of rain a year · Source: IPMA 1981-2010 normals (Porto, Fontainhas station), sunshine via NOAA, from the Wikipedia climate table

Monthly temperatures in °C and °F
MonthAvg highAvg low
Jan14°C / 57°F5°C / 41°F
Feb15°C / 59°F6°C / 43°F
Mar17°C / 63°F8°C / 46°F
Apr18°C / 65°F9°C / 48°F
May20°C / 68°F12°C / 53°F
Jun24°C / 74°F15°C / 58°F
Jul25°C / 78°F16°C / 61°F
Aug26°C / 78°F16°C / 61°F
Sep24°C / 75°F15°C / 58°F
Oct21°C / 69°F12°C / 54°F
Nov17°C / 63°F9°C / 48°F
Dec14°C / 58°F7°C / 44°F

Daily life

Cascais is a mid-size city on the coast; Porto is a large city on the coast. Cascais is the seaside town where many of Lisbon's international families live: beaches, good schools and a train to the capital in under an hour. It is one of the most expensive places to rent in Portugal. Porto offers much of Lisbon's charm with lower rents, a real sense of a working city and Atlantic beaches by tram. Winters are wetter and cooler than in the south, and flights to North America are fewer.

Living in Cascais: the upsides and downsides

  • Beaches and a seaside promenade on the train line to Lisbon
  • International schools and a large English-speaking community
  • Very safe and family-friendly
  • Downside: Rents above Lisbon's by some measures
  • Downside: Summer weekends get crowded

Living in Porto: the upsides and downsides

  • Rents lower than Lisbon in our estimates
  • Compact, walkable center and a good metro
  • Beaches, the Douro valley and northern Portugal on your doorstep
  • Downside: Rainy, grey winters (about 1,237 mm of rain a year)
  • Downside: Steep hills and cobbles

Visas and residency

Both cities are in Portugal, so you’d use the same residence routes either way:

Read the full guides: living in Cascais and living in Porto.

Related comparisons

Costs are our estimates for a comfortable mid-range lifestyle; scores are editorial, relative to the 56 cities we cover. Methodology.