How Much Does It Cost to Run Air Conditioning in Portugal?
Hourly, monthly and yearly cooling costs at Portugal's electricity prices, by unit size, city and energy class, in euros.
By Mark Curant·Updated
Quick answer
At €0.2105 per kWh (October 2026), a typical 3.5 kW (12,000 BTU) split air conditioner (energy class A++), which uses about 0.57 kWh of electricity an hour, costs about €0.12 an hour to run in Portugal, or €29 for a month at 8 hours a day. Over a year it comes to about €60 in Lisbon, from €30 in Porto to €109 in Évora. A portable unit costs about €0.21 an hour. In U.S. terms the price is about 23.49¢/kWh, 28% more than the U.S. average.
Per hour
€0.12
3.5 kW (12,000 BTU) split, uses 0.57 kWh
Per month
€29
8 hrs/day × 30 days
Per year, Lisbon
€60
500 cooling hours
Your numbers in Portugal
Your AC now (SEER 4.6)
€80/yr
€0.16/hr
New unit (SEER 6.1)
€60/yr
€0.12/hr
You would save
€20/yr
€236 over 12 years
SEER here is the EU seasonal rating on the energy label. Hours start at our estimate for Lisbon; change them for where you live.
Yearly cost by city
How long the AC runs matters as much as the price of power, and that varies hugely across Portugal. This table is for one 3.5 kW (12,000 BTU, about 1 ton) split unit, energy class A++, which uses about 0.57 kWh of electricity for each hour it runs. Hours per year is our estimate of how long it runs at full power in each city's climate, and cost per year is those hours × 0.57 kWh × €0.2105.
| City | Hours the AC runs per year | Cost per year, 3.5 kW split unit | Cost per year, portable unit (same hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Évora | 900 | €109 | €189 |
| Faro | 700 | €85 | €147 |
| Lisbon | 500 | €60 | €105 |
| Porto | 250 | €30 | €53 |
Cooling hours are our estimate of full-load hours for each city's climate. For comparison, the EU energy label assumes 350 hours for an average European climate. The portable column assumes a typical unit drawing about 1 kW.
Cost by unit size
In Europe, air conditioners are sold by how much cooling they put out, in kW (the BTU size is in brackets). A bigger unit cools a bigger space but uses more electricity. All at energy class A++ (SEER 6.1) and €0.2105/kWh:
| Unit size (cooling output) | Typical use | Cost per hour of running | Cost per month (8 hours a day) | Cost per year in Lisbon (500 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 kW (9,000 BTU) | bedroom or small room | €0.09 | €21 | €43 |
| 3.5 kW (12,000 BTU) | living room | €0.12 | €29 | €60 |
| 5 kW (18,000 BTU) | large room or open-plan space | €0.17 | €41 | €86 |
| 7 kW (24,000 BTU) | small apartment (multi-split) | €0.24 | €58 | €121 |
| Portable | one room, no installation | €0.21 | €51 | €105 |
What a more efficient unit saves
The energy label shows the unit's seasonal efficiency (SEER) and class: the higher the SEER, the less electricity it needs for the same cooling. Yearly cost of one 3.5 kW (12,000 BTU) unit in Lisbon (500 hours a year):
| Efficiency (EU SEER) | Energy class | Cost per year | Saved per year vs an old SEER 4.6 unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | B (older unit) | €80 | — |
| 5.1 | A | €72 | €8 |
| 6.1 | A++ (typical new split) | €60 | €20 |
| 7.0 | A++ (mid-range) | €53 | €27 |
| 8.5 | A+++ | €43 | €37 |
| 10.0 | A+++ (top models) | €37 | €43 |
EU SEER is measured in a different way from the U.S. SEER used elsewhere on this site, so the numbers can't be compared directly. Going from A++ (6.1) to A+++ (8.5) saves about €17 a year in Lisbon, so in most homes the premium for a top-class unit is hard to earn back on cooling alone. Many split units are heat pumps that also heat in winter, and there the heating rating (SCOP) usually matters more.
What to know about electricity prices in Portugal
The price used here is the price per kWh on the regulated simple tariff (6.9 kVA) with 23% VAT, which applies to use above 200 kWh a month (October 2026).
VAT is what makes AC more expensive than it looks. For contracted power up to 6.9 kVA, the first 200 kWh in each 30-day period are taxed at 6% (300 kWh for large families), and everything above at 23%. Air conditioning usually pushes a summer bill past that line, so the extra kWh it uses pay the full 23%.
On the two-period tariff (bi-horário), off-peak (vazio) kWh cost €0.1143 and peak (fora de vazio) €0.2045 before VAT, so running the AC harder in the cheaper hours helps. Most households are on the free market, where prices are usually close to the regulated tariff.
Cutting the cost
- Close shutters or blinds on sunny windows before the heat builds.
- Set 25–26°C rather than 21°C. Each degree warmer saves several percent.
- Cool the room you're in, with the door closed, rather than the whole home.
- Clean the indoor unit's filters every few weeks in summer.
- If you're buying, a small split unit costs far less to run than a portable one.
How Portugal compares
Italy
€0.3142/kWh
≈ 35.06¢ US
United Kingdom
26.32p/kWh
≈ 34.68¢ US
Cyprus
€0.2688/kWh
≈ 30.00¢ US
Spain
€0.2509/kWh
≈ 28.00¢ US
Greece
€0.2401/kWh
≈ 26.80¢ US
France
€0.2001/kWh
≈ 22.33¢ US
Malta
€0.1268/kWh
≈ 14.15¢ US
Portugal: ≈ 23.49¢ US/kWh. U.S. average: 18.31¢/kWh (July 2026). See costs in every U.S. state.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run air conditioning per hour in Portugal?
About €0.12 an hour for a typical 3.5 kW (12,000 BTU) split unit (EU SEER 6.1, energy class A++), which uses about 0.57 kWh of electricity an hour, at €0.2105/kWh. A 2.5 kW (9,000 BTU) bedroom unit costs about €0.09 an hour, and a portable air conditioner about €0.21 an hour.
How much does air conditioning cost per month in Portugal?
Running a 3.5 kW split unit 8 hours a day for 30 days uses about 138 kWh, or about €29. A portable unit used the same way costs about €51.
Is a split air conditioner cheaper to run than a portable one?
Yes, by a wide margin. A portable unit draws about 1 kW and cools less well, partly because its exhaust hose pulls warm outside air back into the room. A 3.5 kW split unit at SEER 6.1 draws about 0.57 kW on average while delivering more cooling, so it typically costs about half as much per hour.
How we calculated this
Electricity used (kWh) = cooling capacity (kW) ÷ SEER × hours. Cost = kWh × price. Price: Regulated tariff (SU Eletricidade, ERSE), simple tariff at 6.9 kVA: €0.1711/kWh before VAT (Selectra, updated October 13, 2026), plus 23% VAT. U.S. dollar figures use €1 = $1.116 (October 14, 2026). Cooling hours are our estimate for each city. To check your own price, divide the energy part of your bill by the kWh used.