Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dobrich

For one person, living is cheaper in Dobrich: $596 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Dobrich, Bulgaria
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Dobrich
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$596
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dobrich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $596 in Dobrich.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Dobrich $596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $984 in Dobrich.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Dobrich $984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,372 in Dobrich.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Dobrich $1,372

Living in Lisbon is roughly 271% more expensive than in Dobrich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Dobrich is 56% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.85
$6.93 BGN 12.12
140.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.1
$28.09 BGN 49.16
119.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.13
$11.53 BGN 20.18
-1.47%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.65
$1.73 BGN 3.04
71.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.04
$0.89 BGN 1.56
157.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$0.53 BGN 0.92
228.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.04
$1.96 BGN 3.43
73.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.95
$2.80 BGN 4.90
18.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.03
$1.70 BGN 2.97
-31.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$0.84 BGN 1.47
127.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$2.09 BGN 3.65
-27.75%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.59
$3.16 BGN 5.53
27.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.54
$6.28 BGN 10.98
106.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.94
$8.88 BGN 15.54
-12.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.85
$11.51 BGN 20.14
54.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.26 BGN 3.96
1.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.97 BGN 3.44
-12.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.12 BGN 3.72
-12.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.31
$2.47 BGN 4.32
4.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.62
$1.17 BGN 2.05
55.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.43 BGN 2.50
37.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.31
$0.94 BGN 1.65
56.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.51 BGN 0.90
41.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.87
$3.20 BGN 5.59
105.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.00
$6.98 BGN 12.22
-19.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$0.93 BGN 1.62
46.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.87 BGN 3.27
14.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.08
$0.92 BGN 1.61
153.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €39.86
$22.18 BGN 38.81
101.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.43
$1.71 BGN 2.99
125.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.95
$0.71 BGN 1.24
50.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.69
$11.90 BGN 20.82
38.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.96
$1.52 BGN 2.66
44.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.5K
$29.7K BGN 52.0K
15.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.5K
$22.1K BGN 38.7K
75.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$51.2 BGN 89.7
214.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.43
$14.48 BGN 25.33
27.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.21
$11.68 BGN 20.45
180.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.74
$25.38 BGN 44.42
75.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.04
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.56
$4.61 BGN 8.07
108.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €596
$232 BGN 406
187.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$15.0K BGN 26.3K
17.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.0
$58.5 BGN 102
74.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.67
$29.26 BGN 51.2
51.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €87.9
$70.6 BGN 124
39.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €110
$51.2 BGN 89.6
141.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,435
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,062
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,509
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,796
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €6,994
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,082
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Dobrich
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,405
$1,016 BGN 1,778
55.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.25
18.46%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dobrich: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Dobrich
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Dobrich
$227 16.8% $46
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Dobrich
$132 45.6% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Dobrich
$77 63.6% $135
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Dobrich
$94 43.2% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Dobrich
$35 45.7% $29
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Dobrich
$31 50.7% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays 55% 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 in Lisbon vs $28 in Dobrich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $227 per month, with Dobrich cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇧🇬 Dobrich
🕒 Local time
22:51 10:51 PM
00:51 12:51 AM
2 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
89,627
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Dobrich 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Dobrich

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 Dobrich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Dobrich?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $596 in Dobrich, so Dobrich is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Dobrich?
Average pay runs 55% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Dobrich?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $596 in Dobrich – Dobrich is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Lisbon and in Dobrich?
A monthly transit pass in Dobrich runs roughly 50% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $596 in Dobrich versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dobrich but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dobrich the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Dobrich?
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.
Is Lisbon or Dobrich safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Dobrich are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Dobrich?
It comes down to priorities – Dobrich wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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