Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cabarete Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Cabarete

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,263 in Lisbon versus $857 in Cabarete.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,315 in Lisbon versus $1,336 in Cabarete.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,368 in Lisbon versus $1,815 in Cabarete.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 164% more expensive than Cabarete, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 68% above, Cabarete is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.94 €13.73

$6.39 DOP 374

149.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 €54.6

$35.22 DOP 2,063

79.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 €8.95

$6.33 DOP 371

63.98%

Cappuccino

$2.79 €2.40

$2.20 DOP 129

26.82%

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

$2.34 €2.01

$0.98 DOP 57.4

138.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.35

$0.85 DOP 49.81

84.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €2.95

$2.60 DOP 152

31.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.37

$3.69 DOP 216

5.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.93

$0.93 DOP 54.5

16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 €1.52

$1.41 DOP 82.3

25.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 €1.47

$1.47 DOP 86.3

16.33%

Eggs

$3.15 €2.71

$1.64 DOP 96.3

92.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 €11.79

$7.22 DOP 423

89.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.01 €6.90

$4.84 DOP 283

65.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 €13.37

$5.49 DOP 321

182.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €1.98

$0.90 DOP 52.7

154.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 €1.41

$0.86 DOP 50.4

90.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.67

$1.91 DOP 112

1.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.17

$1.33 DOP 77.9

88.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.54

$1.06 DOP 62.0

68.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.73

$1.75 DOP 102

14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 €1.69

$1.11 DOP 65.0

77.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$0.93 DOP 54.4

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €5.85

$3.35 DOP 197

102.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €4.89

$10.68 DOP 626

-46.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.20

$2.37 DOP 139

-41.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.60

$2.69 DOP 157

12.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €1.95

$0.69 DOP 40.53

228.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.44 €39.15

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 €3.70

$3.42 DOP 200

25.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 €0.73

$2.14 DOP 125

-60.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.28 €15.75

$5.99 DOP 351

205.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.71

$1.25 DOP 73.1

59.20%

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

$35.0K €30.2K

$26.5K DOP 1.6M

32.19%

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

$39.5K €34.1K

$31.8K DOP 1.9M

24.20%

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

$146 €126

$50.5 DOP 2,957

189.64%

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

$20.45 €17.62

$24.98 DOP 1,463

-18.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.98 €33.58

$16.73 DOP 980

132.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.98 €42.21

$43.57 DOP 2,552

12.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.83 €16.22

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 €8.21

$6.70 DOP 393

42.09%

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

$608 €524

$264 DOP 15.4K

130.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.2K

$8,042 DOP 471.1K

105.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €89.5

$59.5 DOP 3,484

74.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.12 €36.29

$51.2 DOP 3,001

-17.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €79.5

$94.9 DOP 5,562

-2.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €103

$116 DOP 6,823

3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,397

$875 DOP 51.2K

85.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 €1,092

$255 DOP 14.9K

396.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,048 €2,626

$601 DOP 35.2K

406.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,009 €1,731

$372 DOP 21.8K

440.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,663 €6,602

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,329 €3,730

$305 DOP 17.9K

1319.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,585 €1,366

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

12.9

-70.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: June 8, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,621 in Lisbon and $875 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $35.00 in Cabarete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $183 per month, with Cabarete cheaper across the board.

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

Lisbon vs Cabarete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cabarete wins on cost – living expenses run 164% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cabarete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,394 in Lisbon and $1,286 in Cabarete to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,621 in Lisbon versus $875 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $608 in Lisbon versus $264 in Cabarete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cabarete – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $63.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $857 in Cabarete versus $2,263 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cabarete but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Cabarete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cabarete delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $857 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cabarete hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Cabarete are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cabarete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.