Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douala and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Douala: $1,334 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Douala vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Douala $1,334
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,160 per month in Douala vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Douala $2,160
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,985 per month in Douala vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Douala $2,985
Lisbon $4,341

Douala is about 40% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Douala sits 2% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 FCFA 2,558

$16.65 €14.85

-73.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 FCFA 71.1K

$61.7 €55.1

96.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 FCFA 4,053

$11.36 €10.13

-39.00%

Cappuccino

$2.13 FCFA 1,246

$2.97 €2.65

-28.28%

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

$1.64 FCFA 960

$2.29 €2.04

-28.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 FCFA 445

$1.74 €1.55

-56.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 704

$3.40 €3.04

-64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 FCFA 1,528

$3.31 €2.95

-21.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 FCFA 1,698

$1.16 €1.03

150.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 FCFA 238

$1.91 €1.71

-78.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 FCFA 1,277

$1.51 €1.35

44.37%

Eggs

$1.85 FCFA 1,082

$4.02 €3.59

-53.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

$12.94 €11.54

72.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 FCFA 4,604

$7.77 €6.94

1.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 FCFA 3,614

$17.76 €15.85

-65.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 FCFA 2,692

$2.30 €2.06

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 FCFA 1,185

$1.73 €1.55

17.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 FCFA 1,215

$1.86 €1.66

11.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 FCFA 809

$2.59 €2.31

-46.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 FCFA 1,860

$1.82 €1.62

74.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 FCFA 1,260

$1.97 €1.76

9.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 FCFA 443

$1.47 €1.31

-48.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 FCFA 391

$0.72 €0.65

-6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 FCFA 1,478

$6.58 €5.87

-61.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 FCFA 5,024

$5.61 €5.00

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 821

$1.36 €1.22

2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 FCFA 1,041

$2.14 €1.91

-16.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 FCFA 388

$2.33 €2.08

-71.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.06 FCFA 9,978

$44.68 €39.86

-61.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 FCFA 338

$3.85 €3.43

-84.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 FCFA 476

$1.07 €0.95

-24.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.33 FCFA 4,871

$16.46 €14.69

-49.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 FCFA 824

$2.20 €1.96

-35.91%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

$34.2K €30.5K

-13.89%

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

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

$38.7K €34.5K

-59.67%

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

$162 FCFA 94.9K

$161 €144

0.60%

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

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

$18.41 €16.43

36.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$178 FCFA 103.9K

$32.74 €29.21

442.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 FCFA 24.1K

$44.55 €39.74

-7.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$8.77 FCFA 5,129

$9.60 €8.56

-8.65%

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

$505 FCFA 295.5K

$668 €596

-24.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

$17.6K €15.7K

-80.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 FCFA 46.8K

$102 €91.0

-21.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.1 FCFA 39.8K

$44.46 €39.67

53.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 FCFA 79.6K

$98.5 €87.9

38.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 FCFA 86.0K

$124 €110

18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 FCFA 331.9K

$1,608 €1,435

-64.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 FCFA 183.0K

$1,190 €1,062

-73.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 FCFA 782.7K

$2,812 €2,509

-52.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 FCFA 316.9K

$2,013 €1,796

-73.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

$7,839 €6,994

-74.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$952 FCFA 556.8K

$4,576 €4,082

-79.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 FCFA 129.6K

$1,575 €1,405

-85.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

3.85

394.55%

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

Last update for Douala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douala

$365 27.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 41.8% $153

Accommodation & Living

Douala

$313 23.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 280% $877

Groceries & Markets

Douala

$277 20.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 1.8% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Douala

$194 14.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 14.5% $28

Eating Out

Douala

$102 7.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 137% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Douala

$59 4.4%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 8.5% $5

Getting Around

Douala

$24 1.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 159% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $567 in Douala versus $1,608 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 in Lisbon are about 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Douala versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Douala

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h behind Douala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Douala Lisbon 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Douala
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

Douala vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,001 per month in Douala and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,334 in Douala and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Douala about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $505 per month in Douala and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Douala, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Douala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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