Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dakar

For one person, living is cheaper in Dakar: $1,415 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dakar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Dakar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,415 in Dakar.

Lisbon $2,202
Dakar $1,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,220 in Dakar.

Lisbon $3,274
Dakar $2,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,026 in Dakar.

Lisbon $4,346
Dakar $3,026

Living in Lisbon is roughly 56% more expensive than in Dakar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Dakar 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$5.23 F CFA 3,051

225.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$52.0 F CFA 30.3K

19.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$11.25 F CFA 6,561

-2.04%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.43 F CFA 1,999

-9.04%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.25 F CFA 728

81.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.92 F CFA 538

89.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.52 F CFA 1,469

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.24 F CFA 2,473

-11.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.60 F CFA 1,513

-55.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.76 F CFA 445

144.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.66 F CFA 967

-7.23%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.52 F CFA 1,467

61.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$17.67 F CFA 10.3K

-26.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.03 F CFA 5,268

-12.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.89 F CFA 6,349

61.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.27 F CFA 1,906

-30.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.86 F CFA 1,084

-5.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.99 F CFA 1,741

-36.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.71 F CFA 999

49.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.33 F CFA 776

39.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.97 F CFA 566

103.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.13 F CFA 661

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.69 F CFA 403

11.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$2.20 F CFA 1,282

205.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$17.00 F CFA 9,912

-66.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.58 F CFA 923

-13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.30 F CFA 1,923

-36.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.41 F CFA 239

465.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$77.0 F CFA 44.9K

-42.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$2.13 F CFA 1,241

85.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.20 F CFA 1,284

-52.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$17.16 F CFA 10.0K

-0.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.64 F CFA 956

33.54%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$49.7K F CFA 29.0M

-31.96%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$47.9K F CFA 27.9M

-20.16%

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

$164 €146

$202 F CFA 117.7K

-18.87%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$11.68 F CFA 6,811

58.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$46.07 F CFA 26.9K

-28.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$44.29 F CFA 25.8K

3.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$22.92 F CFA 13.4K

-18.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$8.32 F CFA 4,852

17.19%

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

$684 €608

$327 F CFA 190.5K

109.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

68.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$58.6 F CFA 34.2K

77.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$44.95 F CFA 26.2K

2.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$87.1 F CFA 50.8K

14.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$97.1 F CFA 56.6K

28.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$827 F CFA 482.1K

92.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$430 F CFA 250.9K

171.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,724 F CFA 1.0M

65.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$916 F CFA 534.2K

117.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,838 F CFA 2.8M

61.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,494 F CFA 871.1K

195.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$341 F CFA 198.7K

369.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.75

-56.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dakar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Dakar

$430 30.4% 63.2% $739

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Dakar

$296 21% 8.6% $23

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Dakar

$147 10.4% 40.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Dakar

$260 18.4% 20.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Dakar

$129 9.2% 23.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Dakar

$61 4.3% 6.8% $4.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Dakar

$92 6.5% 45.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $827 in Dakar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 370% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $52.0 in Dakar. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $296, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇳 Dakar

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

1 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,396,800 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Dakar 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Lisbon vs Dakar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Dakar differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,415 including rent). Dakar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 370% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $827 in Dakar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $1,415 in Dakar – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dakar runs roughly 73% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,415 in Dakar versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dakar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dakar the clear choice for anyone on this 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, Lisbon and Dakar 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 Dakar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.