Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dorchester and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Dorchester and in Lisbon: $2,240 and $2,202 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Dorchester
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Dorchester Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Dorchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,240

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,240 in Dorchester versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Dorchester $2,240
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,370 in Dorchester versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Dorchester $3,370
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,500 in Dorchester versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Dorchester $4,500
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Dorchester is roughly 2% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dorchester 65% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.10 £12.08

$17.04 €15.15

-5.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 £59.3

$62.3 €55.4

26.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 £3.90

$11.02 €9.80

-52.81%

Cappuccino

$4.67 £3.51

$3.12 €2.78

49.68%

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

$2.58 £1.93

$2.27 €2.02

13.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.74 €1.55

6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 £5.85

$3.42 €3.04

128.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 £4.91

$3.74 €3.33

75.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.17 €1.04

29.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 £0.97

$1.86 €1.66

-30.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 £1.56

$1.54 €1.37

34.42%

Eggs

$4.39 £3.30

$4.06 €3.61

8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 £6.08

$12.91 €11.49

-37.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.77 £6.58

$7.90 €7.03

11.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 £8.67

$17.64 €15.69

-34.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.25

$2.26 €2.01

32.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.75 €1.55

-1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 £2.04

$1.89 €1.68

43.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 £3.04

$2.56 €2.27

58.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.85 €1.64

10.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 £1.09

$1.97 €1.75

-25.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 £0.57

$1.45 €1.29

-47.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 £1.57

$0.77 €0.69

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.94 £17.21

$6.71 €5.97

241.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 £8.01

$5.67 €5.04

88.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.10

$1.37 €1.22

104.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 £2.61

$2.11 €1.88

64.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 £2.90

$2.32 €2.07

66.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 £62.3

$44.43 €39.52

86.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 £2.63

$3.95 €3.51

-11.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.05 €0.93

53.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.25 £19.69

$17.15 €15.26

53.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$2.19 €1.95

-2.74%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$33.8K €30.0K

15.91%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$38.3K €34.0K

5.62%

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

$229 £172

$164 €146

39.99%

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

$17.12 £12.84

$18.48 €16.43

-7.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.14 £29.36

$32.96 €29.32

18.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.50 £34.89

$45.87 €40.80

1.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 £10.30

$9.75 €8.67

40.82%

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

$2,244 £1,683

$684 €608

228.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.0K

$17.6K €15.7K

44.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 £45.12

$104 €92.3

-42.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.42 £36.33

$46.20 €41.09

4.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.8

$99.7 €88.7

9.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 £72.4

$125 €111

-22.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 £879

$1,589 €1,414

-26.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 £800

$1,169 €1,040

-8.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,330 £1,748

$2,851 €2,536

-18.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 £1,426

$1,993 €1,773

-4.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,565 £3,425

$7,793 €6,932

-41.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,984 £2,989

$4,418 €3,930

-9.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,803 £1,353

$1,600 €1,423

12.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

3.85

26.49%

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

Last update for Dorchester: 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

Dorchester

$1.1K 47.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 9.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Dorchester

$293 13.1%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 6.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dorchester

$286 12.8%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 24.6% $70

Eating Out

Dorchester

$270 12.1%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 8.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Dorchester

$141 6.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 19.2% $27

Getting Around

Dorchester

$110 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 42.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Dorchester

$74 3.3%

Lisbon

$65 3% 11.6% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,171 in Dorchester and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dorchester pays 13% 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: $79.0 in Dorchester vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Dorchester

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

Same time as Dorchester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,500

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dorchester Lisbon 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dorchester
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

Dorchester vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Dorchester. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Dorchester, 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: $1,171 in Dorchester versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Dorchester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $79.0 in Dorchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,240 in Dorchester, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Dorchester. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,202 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dorchester 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Dorchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.