Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dresden and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dresden: $1,950 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Dresden
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Dresden Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Dresden

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,950

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,950 in Dresden versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Dresden $1,950
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,979 in Dresden versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Dresden $2,979
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,008 in Dresden versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Dresden $4,008
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Dresden costs roughly 12% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dresden 43% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.79 €16.88

$16.65 €14.95

12.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.6 €75.1

$61.7 €55.5

35.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.13

$11.36 €10.20

-0.79%

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.76

$2.97 €2.67

41.08%

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

$3.57 €3.20

$2.29 €2.06

55.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.82

$1.74 €1.56

79.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.01 €5.40

$3.40 €3.06

76.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.44 €5.79

$3.31 €2.97

94.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.16 €1.04

7.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.91 €1.72

8.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.53

$1.51 €1.36

86.75%

Eggs

$3.82 €3.43

$4.02 €3.61

-4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.43 €15.66

$12.94 €11.62

34.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 €10.54

$7.77 €6.98

50.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.15 €19.90

$17.76 €15.95

24.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.84

$2.30 €2.07

37.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.73 €1.56

13.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.86 €1.67

16.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.44

$2.59 €2.33

47.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.38

$1.82 €1.64

-15.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.97 €1.77

-24.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.47 €1.32

2.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.72 €0.65

73.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 €8.59

$6.58 €5.91

45.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.16

$5.61 €5.04

2.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.36 €1.22

-16.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.27

$2.14 €1.92

-34.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.82 €3.43

$2.33 €2.10

63.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.7 €64.4

$44.68 €40.14

60.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €4.00

$3.85 €3.46

15.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.07 €0.96

152.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.89 €30.45

$16.46 €14.79

105.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.20 €1.98

5.91%

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

$33.3K €29.9K

$34.2K €30.7K

-2.58%

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

$37.9K €34.1K

$38.7K €34.8K

-2.02%

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

$391 €351

$161 €145

142.51%

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

$20.99 €18.85

$18.41 €16.54

14.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 €39.31

$32.74 €29.41

33.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.70 €31.18

$44.55 €40.02

-22.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.48 €22.89

$19.10 €17.16

33.40%

Cinema Ticket

$13.66 €12.27

$9.60 €8.62

42.29%

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

$902 €810

$668 €600

35.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K €14.0K

$17.6K €15.8K

-11.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 €78.0

$102 €91.6

-14.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.49 €36.37

$44.46 €39.94

-8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.8

$98.5 €88.5

8.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$124 €111

-3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$749 €673

$1,608 €1,445

-53.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 €470

$1,190 €1,069

-56.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,411

$2,812 €2,526

-44.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$972 €873

$2,013 €1,808

-51.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,645 €4,173

$7,839 €7,042

-40.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,684 €2,411

$4,576 €4,110

-41.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 €2,685

$1,575 €1,415

89.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.85

2.86%

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

Last update for Dresden: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dresden

$523 26.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 127% $667

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dresden

$456 23.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 53.4% $243

Groceries & Markets

Dresden

$341 17.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 20.2% $69

Eating Out

Dresden

$304 15.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 20.2% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Dresden

$159 8.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 4.4% $7

Getting Around

Dresden

$105 5.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 39.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Dresden

$62 3.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 2.8% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $749 in Dresden and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dresden pays 90% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Dresden vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dresden

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

12:13 12:13 PM

1 h behind Dresden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

556,780

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Dresden Lisbon 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dresden
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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

Dresden vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dresden wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dresden the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 90% higher in Dresden, 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: $749 in Dresden versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,950 per month in Dresden versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 38% less than in Dresden. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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, Dresden 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.