Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Donegal and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Donegal: $1,863 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Donegal
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Donegal Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Donegal

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,863

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,863 per month in Donegal vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Donegal $1,863
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $2,765 per month in Donegal vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Donegal $2,765
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $3,667 per month in Donegal vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Donegal $3,667
Lisbon $4,319

Donegal is about 16% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Donegal and Lisbon sit above the global median – Donegal by 38%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 €17.51

$16.50 €14.67

19.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 €74.2

$61.3 €54.5

36.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 €5.10

$11.27 €10.02

-49.07%

Cappuccino

$2.82 €2.51

$3.06 €2.72

-7.84%

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

$1.64 €1.46

$2.26 €2.01

-27.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.73 €1.54

-36.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 €6.35

$3.39 €3.02

110.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 €5.84

$3.40 €3.02

93.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.12 €1.00

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.86 €1.65

-2.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.53 €1.36

16.99%

Eggs

$3.44 €3.06

$3.96 €3.53

-13.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 €6.83

$12.76 €11.35

-39.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.23

$7.90 €7.02

59.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 €11.75

$16.97 €15.09

-22.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.27 €2.02

-2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.75 €1.55

-8.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.85 €1.64

-28.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$2.57 €2.28

63.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.86 €1.65

-25.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.02 €1.80

34.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.44 €1.28

-10.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.82 €0.73

137.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.30 €18.06

$6.56 €5.83

209.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.04 €15.15

$5.62 €5.00

203.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.69

$1.28 €1.14

135.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.07 €1.84

36.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.29

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.84

$3.99 €3.55

36.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.09 €0.97

32.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.3 €59.8

$16.64 €14.80

304.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.28 €2.03

-15.35%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

13.27%

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

$37.8K €33.6K

$39.3K €34.9K

-3.82%

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

$163 €145

$167 €149

-2.82%

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

$20.94 €18.62

$18.80 €16.72

11.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.19 €39.30

$33.09 €29.43

33.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 €48.73

$46.01 €40.92

19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.76

$9.84 €8.75

11.48%

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

$832 €740

$677 €602

22.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,191 €1,949

$16.9K €15.0K

-87.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 €64.4

$101 €90.0

-28.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.92 €32.84

$45.76 €40.70

-19.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 €68.5

$100.0 €88.9

-22.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 €83.9

$123 €109

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €985

$1,614 €1,435

-31.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 €738

$1,197 €1,065

-30.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,459

$2,862 €2,545

-42.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 €1,126

$1,990 €1,770

-36.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,679 €1,493

$7,577 €6,739

-77.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,137 €1,011

$4,307 €3,831

-73.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,191 €3,728

$1,588 €1,412

163.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

3.85

-6.49%

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

Last update for Donegal: 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

Donegal

$830 44.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 44.2% $367

Groceries & Markets

Donegal

$321 17.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 16.2% $52

Eating Out

Donegal

$268 14.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 9.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Donegal

$228 12.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 3.7% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Donegal

$126 6.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 31.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Donegal

$77 4.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 14.4% $11

Getting Around

Donegal

$13 * 0.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 397% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,108 in Donegal versus $1,614 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 164% higher in Donegal, 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 $83.0 in Donegal versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $321 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Donegal

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

Same time as Donegal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,600

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Donegal Lisbon 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Donegal
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

Donegal vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,795 per month in Donegal and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,863 in Donegal and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $832 per month in Donegal and $677 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Donegal, where all-in costs run around $1,863, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Donegal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Donegal – 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 Donegal. 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.