The local elections are approaching, scheduled for October 12, when voters will elect the executives and Municipal Assemblies of 308 municipalities. What are the salaries of the mayors? And the councilors?
The remuneration of elected officials depends on the municipality where they are elected, but generally, the more voters a municipality has, the higher the earnings for local officials.
Additionally, the salary of mayors is referenced to the remuneration of the President of the Republic. This year, it should be noted, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has a net salary of 8,370.14 euros, according to the table of allowances for local elected officials available on the website of the Directorate-General for Local Authorities (DGAL).
Lisbon and Porto Set Highest Salaries
Since salaries depend on the number of voters, the remuneration of local officials in Lisbon and Porto is higher, according to a table sent to municipalities earlier this year with the rules, which Notícias ao Minuto had access to.
In 2025, the gross salary (including holiday and Christmas bonuses) amounts to 4,604 euros. It should be noted that representation expenses, which can reach 1,381.20 euros, are added to this amount.
A councilor in Lisbon and Porto, full-time, earns 3,683.20 euros gross, which corresponds to 80% of the mayor’s salary. This amount also includes representation expenses of 736.64 euros.
Salaries Depend on the Number of Voters
The rule applied is that remunerations are proportional to the number of voters: the more people who vote in a municipality, the higher the salary for the mayor and councilors of that same municipality.
In practice, there are four tiers: in Lisbon and Porto, officials earn 55% of the salary of the President of the Republic, in municipalities with 40,000 or more voters they earn 50%, in councils with more than 10,000 and fewer than 40,000 voters they receive 45%, and in the remaining municipalities, mayors earn 40% of what Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa earns.
The table below shows how this year’s remunerations are calculated and how these four tiers work in practice:
Salary calculation rules for mayors and councilors© Notícias ao Minuto
On October 12, 2025, voters will elect the executives and Municipal Assemblies of 308 municipalities. 3,259 Parish Assemblies will also be elected, 167 more than in the last local elections, due to the reinstatement of 302 parishes merged in 2012, through the disaggregation of 135 parish unions.
All information about the Local Elections can be found on the website of the National Election Commission (CNE) through this link.
This year, with elections on October 12, registration in the electoral roll must be completed by August 12 – next Tuesday. We explain these and other details below.
Carolina Pereira Soares | 23:59 – 07/08/2025
