Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dessau

For one person, living is cheaper in Dessau: $1,795 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dessau

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 Dessau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,795 in Dessau.

Lisbon $2,223
Dessau $1,795

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,880 in Dessau.

Lisbon $3,271
Dessau $2,880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,965 in Dessau.

Lisbon $4,319
Dessau $3,965

Living in Lisbon is roughly 24% more expensive than in Dessau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Dessau 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$16.43 €14.61

0.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$83.7 €74.5

-26.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$15.15 €13.47

-25.61%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$4.27 €3.80

-28.34%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$2.84 €2.53

-20.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$4.24 €3.77

-59.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.07 €4.51

-33.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$5.45 €4.85

-37.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.38 €1.23

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.05 €1.83

-9.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.87 €3.44

-60.47%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$3.63 €3.23

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.07 €8.95

26.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$11.70 €10.40

-32.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$21.72 €19.32

-21.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.37 €3.00

-32.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.13 €1.90

-17.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.17 €1.93

-14.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$3.63 €3.23

-29.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.25 €1.11

48.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.17 €1.04

72.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.62 €1.44

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.23 €1.09

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$9.58 €8.53

-31.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.73 €5.99

-16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.08 €0.96

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.66 €1.48

24.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.53 €2.25

-7.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$64.9 €57.7

-31.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$5.10 €4.53

-21.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.38 €2.12

-54.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$33.53 €29.83

-50.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.92 €1.71

18.75%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$33.4K €29.7K

0.94%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$37.9K €33.7K

3.67%

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

$167 €149

$288 €256

-41.85%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$25.96 €23.09

-27.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$50.8 €45.19

-34.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$71.1 €63.2

-35.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$22.29 €19.83

-13.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$11.95 €10.63

-17.66%

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

$677 €602

$303 €269

123.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$73.1 €65.0

38.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$46.38 €41.25

-1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$132 €117

-24.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$171 €152

-28.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$445 €396

262.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$436 €388

174.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$720 €641

297.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$987 €878

101.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,356 €2,985

125.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,748 €1,555

146.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$2,145 €1,908

-25.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.95

-2.53%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dessau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Dessau

$436 24.3% 63.5% $761

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Dessau

$324 18.1% 20.3% $55

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Dessau

$293 16.3% 20.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Dessau

$365 20.3% 66.3% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Dessau

$190 10.6% 14.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Dessau

$95 5.3% 44.6% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Dessau

$92 5.1% 46% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $445 in Dessau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dessau pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $84.0 in Dessau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $324 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Dessau

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

22:13 10:13 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

68,116

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Dessau 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Dessau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Dessau differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,795 including rent). Dessau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Dessau. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $445 in Dessau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Dessau – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,795 in Dessau versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Dessau but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dessau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dessau is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Dessau 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 Dessau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.