Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $3,729 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,729

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,729 per month in Dublin vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dublin $3,729
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $5,239 per month in Dublin vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dublin $5,239
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $6,748 per month in Dublin vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dublin $6,748
Lisbon $4,319

Dublin costs about 68% more than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dublin and Lisbon sit above the global median – Dublin by 176%, Lisbon by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.58 €20.97

$16.50 €14.67

42.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.6

$61.3 €54.5

64.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.00

$11.27 €10.03

19.79%

Cappuccino

$4.82 €4.29

$3.06 €2.72

57.52%

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

$2.87 €2.56

$2.26 €2.01

26.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.73 €1.54

29.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 €6.94

$3.39 €3.02

130.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 €6.51

$3.40 €3.02

115.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.12 €1.00

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.86 €1.65

30.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.53 €1.36

29.41%

Eggs

$4.90 €4.36

$3.96 €3.53

23.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 €8.91

$12.76 €11.35

-21.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$7.90 €7.02

61.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 €14.04

$16.97 €15.09

-7.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.27 €2.02

25.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.75 €1.55

24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.85 €1.64

43.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.29 €4.71

$2.57 €2.28

105.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.86 €1.65

-1.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.02 €1.80

-26.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.44 €1.28

-9.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.82 €0.73

146.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.78 €18.48

$6.56 €5.83

216.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 €12.12

$5.62 €5.00

142.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.28 €1.14

168.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.07 €1.84

67.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.35 €2.09

-6.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

$44.18 €39.30

147.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 €4.50

$3.99 €3.55

26.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.09 €0.97

42.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.01 €32.92

$16.64 €14.81

122.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.28 €2.03

-5.70%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$33.7K €30.0K

15.50%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

0.56%

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

$281 €250

$167 €149

67.71%

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

$17.94 €15.96

$18.80 €16.72

-4.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 €45.89

$33.09 €29.43

55.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$46.01 €40.93

47.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.55 €18.28

$19.19 €17.07

7.09%

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 €13.74

$9.84 €8.75

57.01%

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

$1,281 €1,140

$677 €602

89.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K €12.6K

$16.9K €15.1K

-16.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.0

$101 €90.1

5.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 €45.51

$45.76 €40.70

11.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.4

$100.0 €88.9

11.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

$123 €109

5.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,503 €2,227

$1,614 €1,436

55.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,245 €1,997

$1,197 €1,065

87.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,443 €3,952

$2,862 €2,545

55.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,431 €3,052

$1,990 €1,770

72.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,378 €8,342

$7,577 €6,740

23.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,995 €5,333

$4,307 €3,831

39.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,914 €3,482

$1,588 €1,412

146.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.85

-0.78%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 60.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 46.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$363 9.7%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 25.9% $94

Eating Out

Dublin

$361 9.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 32.9% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$350 9.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 37.4% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$180 4.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 7.4% $13

Getting Around

Dublin

$131 3.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 51.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$99 2.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 33.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,503 in Dublin versus $1,614 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 run about 147% higher in Dublin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Dublin versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $269 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

Same time as Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dublin Lisbon 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dublin
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

Dublin vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,729 in Dublin, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,594 per month in Dublin and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lisbon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Dublin and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,729 in Dublin and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 68%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lisbon, where all-in costs run around $2,223, than in Dublin at $3,729. In Lisbon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dublin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,223 in Lisbon to $3,729 in Dublin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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