Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dili: $1,619 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,619

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Dili vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dili $1,619
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $2,517 per month in Dili vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dili $2,517
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $3,415 per month in Dili vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dili $3,415
Lisbon $4,346

Dili is about 26% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dili and Lisbon sit above the global median – Dili by 19%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 $4.87

$17.04 €15.15

-71.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.68 $49.68

$62.3 €55.4

-20.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 $8.16

$11.02 €9.80

-25.95%

Cappuccino

$3.79 $3.79

$3.12 €2.78

21.47%

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

$1.71 $1.71

$2.27 €2.02

-24.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.74 €1.55

66.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.42 €3.04

-12.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.74 €3.33

6.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.17 €1.04

105.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.86 €1.66

34.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.54 €1.37

-37.66%

Eggs

$2.76 $2.76

$4.06 €3.61

-32.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$12.91 €11.49

-84.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 $9.22

$7.90 €7.03

16.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.85 $15.85

$17.64 €15.69

-10.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.26 €2.01

51.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.75 €1.55

3.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.89 €1.68

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.56 €2.27

-7.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.85 €1.64

-35.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.97 €1.75

-41.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.45 €1.29

-41.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.77 €0.69

31.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 $3.06

$6.71 €5.97

-54.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 $11.89

$5.67 €5.04

109.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.37 €1.22

67.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.11 €1.88

36.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 $0.26

$2.32 €2.07

-88.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.55 $30.55

$44.43 €39.52

-31.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.95 €3.51

-13.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.05 €0.93

257.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.74 $19.74

$17.15 €15.26

15.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.19 €1.95

-36.07%

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

$17.7K $17.7K

$33.8K €30.0K

-47.72%

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

$17.1K $17.1K

$38.3K €34.0K

-55.19%

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

$151 $151

$164 €146

-7.72%

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

$27.78 $27.78

$18.48 €16.43

50.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.2 $76.2

$45.87 €40.80

66.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 $5.84

$9.75 €8.67

-40.10%

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

$1,514 $1,514

$684 €608

121.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$17.6K €15.7K

-9.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 $59.2

$104 €92.3

-42.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.72 $29.72

$46.20 €41.09

-35.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$99.7 €88.7

-18.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 $60.2

$125 €111

-51.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 $815

$1,589 €1,414

-48.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$769 $769

$1,169 €1,040

-34.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,784 $2,784

$2,851 €2,536

-2.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 $1,520

$1,993 €1,773

-23.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,531 $3,531

$1,600 €1,423

120.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.85

39.48%

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

Last update for Dili: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$769 47.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 52.1% $400

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$276 17%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 20.3% $36

Eating Out

Dili

$150 9.3%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 64.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.4%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 62.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$88 5.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 25.6% $23

Getting Around

Dili

$54 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 17.1% $9.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $815 in Dili versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 121% higher in Dili, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Dili versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Dili vs $273 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

9 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dili Lisbon 14,400 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Dili
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

Dili vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,429 per month in Dili and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dili, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Dili and $62.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,619 in Dili and $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 36%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Dili, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Dili it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dili – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dili. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.