Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douglas and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,631 in Douglas, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Douglas
🇮🇲 Isle of Man
$2,631
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,631 in Douglas versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Douglas $2,631
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,083 in Douglas versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Douglas $4,083
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Douglas versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Douglas $5,534
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Douglas is roughly 18% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Douglas 95% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.55 IMP 20.69
$16.50 €14.67
66.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$118 IMP 88.7
$61.3 €54.5
92.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.84 IMP 8.90
$11.27 €10.03
5.06%
Cappuccino
$4.94 IMP 3.71
$3.06 €2.72
61.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 IMP 1.99
$2.26 €2.01
17.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 IMP 1.61
$1.73 €1.54
23.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.71 IMP 5.04
$3.39 €3.02
97.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.88 IMP 4.41
$3.40 €3.02
72.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.42 IMP 1.82
$1.12 €1.00
116.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.58 IMP 1.94
$1.86 €1.65
38.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.08 IMP 1.56
$1.53 €1.36
35.95%
Eggs
$5.19 IMP 3.90
$3.96 €3.53
31.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.80 IMP 5.86
$12.76 €11.35
-38.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.80 IMP 6.61
$7.90 €7.02
11.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.47 IMP 9.36
$16.97 €15.09
-26.52%
Apples (1kg)
$3.01 IMP 2.26
$2.27 €2.02
32.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.79 IMP 1.34
$1.75 €1.55
2.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.89 IMP 2.92
$1.85 €1.64
110.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.63 IMP 2.73
$2.57 €2.28
41.25%
Potato (1kg)
$3.02 IMP 2.27
$1.86 €1.65
62.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.94 IMP 2.21
$2.02 €1.80
45.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.06 IMP 1.55
$1.44 €1.28
43.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.60 IMP 1.95
$0.82 €0.73
217.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.31 IMP 16.76
$6.56 €5.83
240.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.67 IMP 8.76
$5.62 €5.00
107.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.50 IMP 3.38
$1.28 €1.14
251.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 IMP 3.28
$2.07 €1.84
111.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.95 IMP 2.21
$2.35 €2.09
25.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.9 IMP 74.3
$44.18 €39.30
123.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.95 IMP 3.72
$3.99 €3.55
24.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 IMP 1.10
$1.09 €0.97
34.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$80.6 IMP 60.5
$16.64 €14.81
384.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.98 IMP 1.48
$2.28 €2.03
-13.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.5K IMP 33.4K
$33.7K €30.0K
32.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.1K IMP 32.4K
$39.3K €35.0K
9.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$336 IMP 252
$167 €149
100.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$61.2 IMP 45.92
$18.80 €16.72
225.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.6 IMP 55.3
$33.09 €29.43
122.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.7 IMP 49.36
$46.01 €40.93
42.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.20 IMP 15.17
$19.19 €17.07
5.26%
Cinema Ticket
$15.76 IMP 11.84
$9.84 €8.75
60.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,729 IMP 1,298
$677 €602
155.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$52.5K IMP 39.4K
$16.9K €15.1K
210.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.1 IMP 73.7
$101 €90.1
-3.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.25 IMP 33.98
$45.76 €40.70
-1.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 IMP 82.7
$100.0 €88.9
10.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.2 IMP 52.0
$123 €109
-43.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,220 IMP 916
$1,614 €1,436
-24.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,063 IMP 798
$1,197 €1,065
-11.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,351 IMP 1,765
$2,862 €2,545
-17.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,046 IMP 1,537
$1,990 €1,770
2.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,987 IMP 3,745
$7,577 €6,740
-34.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,758 IMP 2,822
$4,307 €3,831
-12.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Douglas
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,966 IMP 2,228
$1,588 €1,412
86.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.76
3.85
23.64%

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

Last update for Douglas: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Douglas
$1.1K
Lisbon
$1.2K 12.6% $134
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Douglas
$471
Lisbon
$219 53.4% $251
Eating Out
Douglas
$380
Lisbon
$242 36.2% $138
Groceries & Markets
Douglas
$352
Lisbon
$269 23.5% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Douglas
$145
Lisbon
$166 14.6% $21
Getting Around
Douglas
$123
Lisbon
$63 48.8% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Douglas
$97
Lisbon
$66 32.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,220 in Douglas and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Douglas pays 87% 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: $118 in Douglas vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇲 Douglas
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
08:19 8:19 AM
08:19 8:19 AM
Same time as Douglas
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,218 Capital
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IMP – Isle of Man Pound Converter

Isle of Man Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.751 IMP (1 IMP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.844 IMP (1 IMP = 1.18 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Douglas Lisbon 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Douglas
  • 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
Douglas vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Douglas?
Lisbon is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Douglas or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 87% higher in Douglas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Douglas and Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,220 in Douglas versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Douglas and in Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $2,631 per month in Douglas versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 124% less than in Douglas. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Douglas or in Lisbon?
At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,631 in Douglas, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Douglas. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Douglas or Lisbon more family-friendly?
For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Douglas, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Douglas or Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Douglas 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Douglas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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