Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dakar and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dakar: $1,415 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,415

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dakar and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dakar and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,415 in Dakar versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Dakar $1,415
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,220 in Dakar versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Dakar $2,220
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,026 in Dakar versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Dakar $3,026
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Dakar costs roughly 36% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dakar 4% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 F CFA 3,051

$17.04 €15.15

-69.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 F CFA 30.3K

$62.3 €55.4

-16.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 F CFA 6,561

$11.02 €9.80

2.09%

Cappuccino

$3.43 F CFA 1,999

$3.12 €2.78

9.94%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 F CFA 728

$2.27 €2.02

-44.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 F CFA 538

$1.74 €1.55

-47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 F CFA 1,469

$3.42 €3.04

-26.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 F CFA 2,473

$3.74 €3.33

13.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 F CFA 1,513

$1.17 €1.04

122.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 F CFA 445

$1.86 €1.66

-59.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 F CFA 967

$1.54 €1.37

7.79%

Eggs

$2.52 F CFA 1,467

$4.06 €3.61

-37.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.67 F CFA 10.3K

$12.91 €11.49

36.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 F CFA 5,268

$7.90 €7.03

14.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 F CFA 6,349

$17.64 €15.69

-38.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 F CFA 1,906

$2.26 €2.01

44.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 F CFA 1,084

$1.75 €1.55

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 F CFA 1,741

$1.89 €1.68

58.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 F CFA 999

$2.56 €2.27

-33.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 776

$1.85 €1.64

-28.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 F CFA 566

$1.97 €1.75

-50.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 F CFA 661

$1.45 €1.29

-22.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 F CFA 403

$0.77 €0.69

-10.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 F CFA 1,282

$6.71 €5.97

-67.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.00 F CFA 9,912

$5.67 €5.04

199.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 F CFA 923

$1.37 €1.22

15.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 F CFA 1,923

$2.11 €1.88

56.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 F CFA 239

$2.32 €2.07

-82.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.0 F CFA 44.9K

$44.43 €39.52

73.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 F CFA 1,241

$3.95 €3.51

-46.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 F CFA 1,284

$1.05 €0.93

109.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.16 F CFA 10.0K

$17.15 €15.26

0.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 F CFA 956

$2.19 €1.95

-25.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$49.7K F CFA 29.0M

$33.8K €30.0K

46.97%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$47.9K F CFA 27.9M

$38.3K €34.0K

25.26%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$202 F CFA 117.7K

$164 €146

23.26%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.68 F CFA 6,811

$18.48 €16.43

-36.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.07 F CFA 26.9K

$32.96 €29.32

39.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.29 F CFA 25.8K

$45.87 €40.80

-3.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.92 F CFA 13.4K

$18.68 €16.61

22.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 F CFA 4,852

$9.75 €8.67

-14.67%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$327 F CFA 190.5K

$684 €608

-52.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

$17.6K €15.7K

-40.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 F CFA 34.2K

$104 €92.3

-43.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.95 F CFA 26.2K

$46.20 €41.09

-2.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 F CFA 50.8K

$99.7 €88.7

-12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 F CFA 56.6K

$125 €111

-22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 F CFA 482.1K

$1,589 €1,414

-47.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 F CFA 250.9K

$1,169 €1,040

-63.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,724 F CFA 1.0M

$2,851 €2,536

-39.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$916 F CFA 534.2K

$1,993 €1,773

-54.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,838 F CFA 2.8M

$7,793 €6,932

-37.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,494 F CFA 871.1K

$4,418 €3,930

-66.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 F CFA 198.7K

$1,600 €1,423

-78.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

3.85

127.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dakar: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Dakar

$430 30.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 172% $739

Groceries & Markets

Dakar

$296 21%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 7.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dakar

$260 18.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 17.1% $44

Eating Out

Dakar

$147 10.4%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 68.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Dakar

$129 9.2%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 30.1% $39

Getting Around

Dakar

$92 6.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 31.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Dakar

$61 4.3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 7.3% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $827 in Dakar and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 370% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Dakar vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $296 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Dakar

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

1 h ahead of Dakar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,396,800 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dakar Lisbon 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dakar
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dakar vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dakar and Lisbon differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,415 vs $2,202 including rent). Dakar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 370% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $827 in Dakar versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,415 per month in Dakar versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dakar runs roughly 73% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,415 in Dakar versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dakar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dakar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dakar and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dakar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.