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Porto
#104 of 124
Europe

Porto

Portugal

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Porto compare to Buenos Aires?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Porto is 18% better off vs in Buenos Aires

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Porto compared to Buenos Aires, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$45,901
+$14K (+43%) vs Buenos Aires
Based on 249 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$27,082
+$8K (+41%) vs Buenos Aires
Tax Rate: 41%

Community Insights

New

Porto offers a soulful, slower-paced alternative to Lisbon, appealing to those who prioritize authenticity and safety over big-city buzz. While the cost of living is attractive for remote workers earning foreign salaries, the local job market struggles to keep pace with rising housing costs. The city is celebrated for its beauty and food but criticized for its damp, gray winters and increasingly difficult real estate market.

Resident Sentiment

Expats generally love the lifestyle (food, safety, beauty) but frequently warn about the housing market and winter weather. There is a growing undertone of guilt or friction regarding gentrification, as locals are priced out by the influx of higher-earning foreigners. Long-term residents emphasize that you must bring a foreign salary to truly enjoy the city without financial stress.

The Good

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to Buenos Aires.

Rankings

Pollution Score

Top 10%

#12

of 124 cities

24.5/100

Current value (lower is better)

Comfortable Weather

Top 15%

#19

of 124 cities

85/100 weather score

Current value

Safety Index

Top 30%

#37

of 124 cities

66.8/100

Current value

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Porto compared to Buenos Aires?

Avg. Property Price
$4,301 / m²
81% more expensive than Buenos Aires
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Porto to maintain the same standard of living.

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Do you have kids?

Cost of Living
19% more expensive than Buenos Aires
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Porto

Revolut logo
Revolut
Farfetch logo
Farfetch
Critical TechWorks logo
Critical TechWorks
Affordable compared to other major Western European tech hubs (Cost of Living Rank #43/124).
  • Smaller, more manageable scale than Lisbon with a strong sense of community and walkable city center.
  • Strong remote work suitability with overlap for US East Coast and European time zones.
  • Safe city with a high safety index (66.8/100), making it family-friendly.
  • Rich cultural heritage, excellent food, and world-class wine scene.
  • Low pollution levels (24.5/100) and cleaner air compared to busier capitals.
  • Growing tech ecosystem with active meetups (Porto Tech Hub, various frontend/founder groups) and coworking spaces.

    • The Bad

    • Low local salaries (Median ~46k USD) relative to the rising cost of living.
    • Housing crisis: Rents and property prices have surged, with high competition due to short-term rentals.
    • Weather is significantly rainier and colder than Lisbon or the Algarve, with damp winters often surprising newcomers.
    • High tax burden for residents (up to 48% progressive rate) unless qualifying for specific expat regimes.
    • Low purchasing power (#104/124), meaning local goods/services feel expensive relative to local income.
    • Older housing stock often lacks central heating and insulation, leading to cold, mold-prone interiors in winter.

    The Verdict

    You'll love it if...

    Remote workers with high foreign income who want a safe, culturally rich European base.

    Families seeking a walkable, safe environment with good international schools and cleaner air than larger capitals.

    Introverted techies who prefer a smaller, tighter-knit community over the chaotic energy of a massive metropolis.

    Skip it if...

    Junior developers relying solely on local salaries, as saving money will be difficult.

    Sun-seekers expecting a year-round Mediterranean climate; the rainy, windy winters will be a shock.

    Career climbers looking for a vast array of headquarters or FAANG-level on-site opportunities, which are scarcer here than in major hubs.

    Updated 11/29/2025

    Weather8.5/10-2% vs Buenos Aires
    Safety67+81%
    Pollution25-52%
    Events0-100%
    8.5/10TechCities weather score vs 8.7/10 in Buenos Aires

    0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

    Weather snapshot

    Average High
    19°C(vs 21°C in Buenos Aires)
    Average Low
    11°C(vs 15°C in Buenos Aires)
    Sunshine Hours
    2,468h/yr-57h/yr
    Hottest Month High
    24°C(vs 28°C in Buenos Aires)
    Coldest Month Low
    6°C(vs 9°C in Buenos Aires)
    Rainy Days
    90/yr-5/yr(-5%)

    Community & Quality

    Porto community pulse

    Porto has 0 Luma events listed.

    100% fewer events than Buenos Aires.

    Cost of Living

    Middle of the pack

    #45

    of 124 cities

    41/100

    Current value (lower is better)

    Home Affordability

    Bottom 28%

    #90

    of 124 cities

    ≈12.7 yrs to buy 80m²

    Current value

    Net Income

    Bottom 21%

    #99

    of 124 cities

    $27,082/yr

    Current value

    Purchasing Power

    Bottom 17%

    #104

    of 124 cities

    Community Events

    Bottom 11%

    #111

    of 124 cities

    0 events on luma

    Current value

    Tax Rate

    Bottom 4%

    #120

    of 124 cities

    41%

    Current value (lower is better)

    SWE Affordability
    12.7 years
    2.8 years longer than Buenos Aires
    Muggy Days
    6/yr-55/yr(-90%)
    Cloud Cover
    42%(vs 38% in Buenos Aires)