Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dortmund and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dortmund: $2,050 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Dortmund versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Dortmund $2,050
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Dortmund versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Dortmund $3,121
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Dortmund versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Dortmund $4,192
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Dortmund costs roughly 7% less than in Lisbon.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dortmund 51% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.26

$16.65 €14.96

2.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €70.6

$61.7 €55.5

27.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.13

$11.36 €10.20

9.07%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.40

$2.97 €2.67

27.61%

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

$3.05 €2.74

$2.29 €2.06

33.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$1.74 €1.56

63.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.13

$3.40 €3.06

67.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.53

$3.31 €2.97

52.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.16 €1.04

18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.91 €1.72

24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$1.51 €1.36

147.68%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.45

$4.02 €3.61

-4.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 €13.64

$12.94 €11.62

17.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.32

$7.77 €6.99

47.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.96 €20.63

$17.76 €15.96

29.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.97

$2.30 €2.07

43.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.73 €1.56

27.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.86 €1.67

18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.57

$2.59 €2.33

53.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.82 €1.64

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.97 €1.77

-18.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.47 €1.32

5.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.72 €0.65

51.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 €8.49

$6.58 €5.92

43.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.92

$5.61 €5.04

17.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.36 €1.22

-19.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.14 €1.92

-20.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 €3.65

$2.33 €2.10

74.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €64.2

$44.68 €40.14

59.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.75

$3.85 €3.46

37.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 €2.55

$1.07 €0.96

164.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.59 €33.77

$16.46 €14.79

128.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.93

$2.20 €1.98

-2.73%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$34.2K €30.7K

-5.62%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

-1.56%

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

$405 €364

$161 €145

151.00%

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

$30.78 €27.66

$18.41 €16.54

67.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.56

$32.74 €29.41

54.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.43 €33.63

$44.55 €40.03

-15.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.30 €23.63

$19.10 €17.16

37.70%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 €14.92

$9.60 €8.62

73.02%

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

$406 €365

$668 €600

-39.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K €25.4K

$17.6K €15.8K

60.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 €82.2

$102 €91.7

-10.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 €47.20

$44.46 €39.95

18.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.8

$98.5 €88.5

-10.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €153

$124 €111

37.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €647

$1,608 €1,445

-55.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 €520

$1,190 €1,069

-51.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 €1,146

$2,812 €2,527

-54.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €995

$2,013 €1,809

-44.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €3,006

$7,839 €7,043

-57.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 €2,138

$4,576 €4,111

-48.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,269 €2,937

$1,575 €1,415

107.55%

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 Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dortmund

$578 28.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 106% $612

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dortmund

$486 23.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 56.3% $274

Groceries & Markets

Dortmund

$346 16.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 21.4% $74

Eating Out

Dortmund

$281 13.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 13.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Dortmund

$181 8.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.2% $15

Getting Around

Dortmund

$107 5.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 41% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Dortmund

$71 3.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 9.8% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $720 in Dortmund and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dortmund pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79 in Dortmund vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

1 h behind Dortmund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,933

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Dortmund Lisbon 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dortmund
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

Dortmund vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Dortmund is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $720 in Dortmund versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $79 in Dortmund. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,050 per month in Dortmund versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Dortmund is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Dortmund 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.