Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dorchester

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Dorchester: $2,202 and $2,240 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Dorchester
Learn more

Dorchester Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Dorchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dorchester

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,240 in Dorchester.

Lisbon $2,202
Dorchester $2,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $3,370 in Dorchester.

Lisbon $3,274
Dorchester $3,370

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $4,500 in Dorchester.

Lisbon $4,346
Dorchester $4,500

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 2% less than in Dorchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Dorchester 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$16.10 £12.08

5.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$79.0 £59.3

-21.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.20 £3.90

111.92%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.67 £3.51

-33.19%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.58 £1.93

-12.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.85 £1.39

-5.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$7.80 £5.85

-56.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.55 £4.91

-42.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.51 £1.13

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.30 £0.97

43.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.07 £1.56

-25.60%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$4.39 £3.30

-7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$8.11 £6.08

59.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$8.77 £6.58

-9.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.56 £8.67

52.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.99 £2.25

-24.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.73 £1.30

1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.71 £2.04

-30.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.05 £3.04

-36.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.05 £1.53

-9.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.46 £1.09

34.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.76 £0.57

90.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$2.09 £1.57

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$22.94 £17.21

-70.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.68 £8.01

-46.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.80 £2.10

-51.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.48 £2.61

-39.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.87 £2.90

-40.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$83.0 £62.3

-46.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.51 £2.63

12.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.61 £1.21

-34.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$26.25 £19.69

-34.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.13 £1.60

2.82%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$39.2K £29.4K

-13.73%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$40.4K £30.3K

-5.32%

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

$164 €146

$229 £172

-28.56%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$17.12 £12.84

7.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$39.14 £29.36

-15.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$46.50 £34.89

-1.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$13.73 £10.30

-28.99%

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

$684 €608

$2,244 £1,683

-69.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$25.4K £19.0K

-30.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$60.1 £45.12

72.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$48.42 £36.33

-4.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$109 £81.8

-8.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$96.4 £72.4

29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$1,171 £879

35.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$1,066 £800

9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,330 £1,748

22.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,900 £1,426

4.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$4,565 £3,425

70.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,984 £2,989

10.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,803 £1,353

-11.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.87

-20.94%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dorchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Dorchester

$1.1K 47.6% 8.8% $103

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Dorchester

$293 13.1% 7.2% $20

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Dorchester

$270 12.1% 9.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Dorchester

$286 12.8% 32.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Dorchester

$141 6.3% 16.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Dorchester

$74 3.3% 13.2% $8.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Dorchester

$110 4.9% 74.9% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $1,171 in Dorchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dorchester pays 13% 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 $79.0 in Dorchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $293 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇬🇧 Dorchester

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

Same time as Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

19,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Dorchester 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Dorchester

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 Dorchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Dorchester. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Dorchester. 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $1,171 in Dorchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Dorchester. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62.0 versus $79.0 in Dorchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $2,240 in Dorchester, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Dorchester. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,202 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Dorchester 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Dorchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.