Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dessau and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dessau: $1,795 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,795

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dessau 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 Dessau and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,795 in Dessau versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Dessau $1,795
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,880 in Dessau versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Dessau $2,880
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,965 in Dessau versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Dessau $3,965
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Dessau costs roughly 19% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dessau 33% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.43 €14.61

$16.50 €14.67

-0.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 €74.5

$61.3 €54.5

36.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.15 €13.47

$11.27 €10.03

34.43%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.80

$3.06 €2.72

39.54%

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

$2.84 €2.53

$2.26 €2.01

25.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 €3.77

$1.73 €1.54

145.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.51

$3.39 €3.02

49.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.40 €3.02

60.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.12 €1.00

23.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.86 €1.65

10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 €3.44

$1.53 €1.36

152.94%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.23

$3.96 €3.53

-8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 €8.95

$12.76 €11.35

-21.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.40

$7.90 €7.02

48.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.72 €19.32

$16.97 €15.09

27.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$2.27 €2.02

48.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.75 €1.55

21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.85 €1.64

17.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$2.57 €2.28

41.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.86 €1.65

-32.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.02 €1.80

-42.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.44 €1.28

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.82 €0.73

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 €8.53

$6.56 €5.83

46.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.73 €5.99

$5.62 €5.00

19.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.28 €1.14

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.07 €1.84

-19.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.35 €2.09

7.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 €57.7

$44.18 €39.30

46.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 €4.53

$3.99 €3.55

27.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.09 €0.97

118.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.53 €29.83

$16.64 €14.81

101.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.28 €2.03

-15.79%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

-0.93%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$39.3K €35.0K

-3.54%

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

$288 €256

$167 €149

71.98%

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

$25.96 €23.09

$18.80 €16.72

38.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.19

$33.09 €29.43

53.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 €63.2

$46.01 €40.93

54.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.29 €19.83

$19.19 €17.07

16.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 €10.63

$9.84 €8.75

21.44%

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

$303 €269

$677 €602

-55.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 €65.0

$101 €90.1

-27.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.38 €41.25

$45.76 €40.70

1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 €117

$100.0 €88.9

31.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 €152

$123 €109

39.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 €396

$1,614 €1,436

-72.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 €388

$1,197 €1,065

-63.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €641

$2,862 €2,545

-74.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €878

$1,990 €1,770

-50.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,356 €2,985

$7,577 €6,740

-55.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,748 €1,555

$4,307 €3,831

-59.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,145 €1,908

$1,588 €1,412

35.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.85

2.60%

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

Last update for Dessau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dessau

$436 24.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 174% $761

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dessau

$365 20.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 39.9% $145

Groceries & Markets

Dessau

$324 18.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 16.9% $55

Eating Out

Dessau

$293 16.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 17.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Dessau

$190 10.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 12.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Dessau

$95 5.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 30.8% $29

Getting Around

Dessau

$92 5.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 31.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $445 in Dessau and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dessau pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Dessau vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dessau

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h behind Dessau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,116

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Dessau Lisbon 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dessau
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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

Dessau vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dessau and Lisbon differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,795 vs $2,223 including rent). Dessau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Dessau, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $445 in Dessau versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Dessau – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,795 in Dessau versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dessau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dessau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dessau is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dessau 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 Dessau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.