This is the first question in any conversation and the one almost no supplier answers before a meeting. We answer it here, with real ranges and with what moves the number up or down.
Short answer
In Portugal, in 2026, an enterprise AI project with fixed scope typically falls into these ranges:
- Single agent in production, connected to one system: €7,500 to €15,000
- Internal AI platform with several department agents: €25,000 to €45,000
- Extended platform, with agents taking action across systems: from €45,000
- Custom CRM or ERP, when the system the AI needs does not exist: from €15,000
On top of these comes the running cost, which is the part almost everyone forgets in the first conversation.
What makes the price vary
The number of integrations is the main factor, ahead of any other. Connecting an agent to a system with a documented API is predictable work. Connecting it to a legacy system with no API, or to an old on-premise installation, can double the effort without the end result looking any different to the user.
Next comes data quality. You do not need everything organised to start, but information scattered across folders with ten years of history requires preparation work that does not exist when the data already sits in a structured system.
The third factor is the level of autonomy. An agent that only looks things up and prepares is simpler than one that takes actions with financial impact, because the latter requires designing approvals, logging and reversal.
The running cost, which rarely appears in proposals
An AI system has a recurring cost. Ignoring it in the decision is the most common way for a project to look cheaper than it is:
- Language models: between tens and a few hundred euros per month for most enterprise use cases, heavily dependent on volume.
- Infrastructure: hosting, database and indexing, typically between €50 and €300 per month for a mid-sized operation.
- Evolution: processes change. Budgeting for a support contract is more honest than assuming the system stays unchanged for three years.
How it compares to the alternative
The useful comparison is not with the price of a software licence. It is with the cost of the person doing that work today. A back office process that consumes half of one employee costs, with overheads, well over €15,000 a year in Portugal. That is why back office automation cases tend to pay back in under a year, and front office cases almost never do.
How to find the figure for your case
There is no way to give a reliable number without understanding the process. What we do in the diagnosis is pick one concrete process, measure what it costs today and do the maths with you. If the numbers do not add up, we say so before starting.
The diagnosis is free and carries no obligation to proceed.