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: $2,227 in Lisbon versus $884 in Cabarete.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,305 in Lisbon versus $1,347 in Cabarete.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,384 in Lisbon versus $1,810 in Cabarete.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 152% more expensive than Cabarete, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 66% above, Cabarete is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.17 €13.84

$6.25 DOP 369

158.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 €55.3

$36.25 DOP 2,142

78.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 €8.88

$6.19 DOP 366

67.69%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.37

$2.26 DOP 133

22.57%

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

$2.25 €1.92

$1.04 DOP 61.4

116.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.35

$0.83 DOP 48.82

89.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.49 €2.99

$2.51 DOP 148

39.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 €3.43

$3.70 DOP 219

8.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.93

$0.91 DOP 53.6

18.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.49

$1.36 DOP 80.5

27.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.49

$1.51 DOP 89.4

15.23%

Eggs

$3.18 €2.72

$1.65 DOP 97.7

92.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 €11.50

$6.95 DOP 410

93.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €6.84

$4.59 DOP 271

74.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.09 €13.77

$5.52 DOP 326

191.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €1.95

$0.92 DOP 54.1

147.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.48

$0.87 DOP 51.1

97.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.66

$1.93 DOP 114

0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.18

$1.33 DOP 78.8

90.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.57

$1.07 DOP 63.5

71.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.77 DOP 104

15.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 €1.69

$1.11 DOP 65.4

78.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.73

$0.95 DOP 56.2

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €5.87

$3.35 DOP 198

104.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €4.94

$11.73 DOP 693

-50.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.18

$2.37 DOP 140

-42.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.48

$2.75 DOP 162

5.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €1.95

$0.70 DOP 41.15

225.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.84 €40.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.49

$3.30 DOP 195

23.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.70

$2.13 DOP 126

-61.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.27 €15.64

$5.84 DOP 345

212.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.72

$1.29 DOP 76.1

55.81%

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

$35.3K €30.2K

$26.8K DOP 1.6M

31.68%

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

$38.5K €32.9K

$31.6K DOP 1.9M

21.84%

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

$145 €124

$51.7 DOP 3,055

181.24%

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

$20.96 €17.94

$25.48 DOP 1,505

-17.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.05 €34.29

$16.70 DOP 987

139.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.79 €41.76

$43.36 DOP 2,562

12.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 €16.00

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 €7.76

$6.94 DOP 410

30.55%

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

$607 €519

$269 DOP 15.9K

125.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K €14.0K

$8,153 DOP 481.8K

100.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €89.6

$60.2 DOP 3,557

73.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.95 €35.06

$50.6 DOP 2,992

-19.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 €80.1

$95.0 DOP 5,615

-1.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €101

$117 DOP 6,885

1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 €1,373

$874 DOP 51.6K

83.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 €1,058

$260 DOP 15.3K

375.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,046 €2,607

$601 DOP 35.5K

406.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 €1,761

$369 DOP 21.8K

457.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,709 €6,599

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,266 €3,652

$307 DOP 18.1K

1289.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,584 €1,356

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: April 26, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Lisbon and $874 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Lisbon vs $36.00 in Cabarete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 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 152% 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 $3,341 in Lisbon and $1,326 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: $1,604 in Lisbon versus $874 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $607 in Lisbon versus $269 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 $36.00 versus $65.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $884 in Cabarete versus $2,227 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 $884 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 152% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.