Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dortmund

For one person, living is cheaper in Dortmund: $2,050 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dortmund

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $2,050 in Dortmund.

Lisbon $2,210
Dortmund $2,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $3,121 in Dortmund.

Lisbon $3,275
Dortmund $3,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,192 in Dortmund.

Lisbon $4,341
Dortmund $4,192

Living in Lisbon is roughly 8% more expensive than in Dortmund.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Dortmund 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$16.99 €15.26

-2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$78.5 €70.6

-21.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$12.39 €11.13

-8.31%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.79 €3.40

-21.64%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.05 €2.74

-24.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.85 €2.56

-38.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$5.71 €5.13

-40.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.04 €4.53

-34.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.38 €1.24

-15.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.37 €2.13

-19.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.74 €3.36

-59.63%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.84 €3.45

4.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$15.18 €13.64

-14.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$11.48 €10.32

-32.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$22.96 €20.63

-22.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.30 €2.97

-30.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.20 €1.98

-21.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.21 €1.98

-15.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.98 €3.57

-34.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.30 €1.17

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.60 €1.43

23.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.55 €1.39

-5.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.09 €0.98

-33.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$9.45 €8.49

-30.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.59 €5.92

-14.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.10 €0.99

23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.71 €1.53

25.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$4.06 €3.65

-42.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$71.4 €64.2

-37.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$5.29 €4.75

-27.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.83 €2.55

-62.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$37.59 €33.77

-56.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.14 €1.93

2.80%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$32.3K €29.0K

5.95%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$38.1K €34.2K

1.59%

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

$161 €145

$405 €364

-60.16%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$30.78 €27.66

-40.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$50.7 €45.56

-35.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$37.43 €33.63

19.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$26.30 €23.63

-27.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$16.61 €14.92

-42.20%

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

$668 €600

$406 €365

64.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$28.3K €25.4K

-37.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$91.5 €82.2

11.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$52.5 €47.20

-15.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$87.7 €78.8

12.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$170 €153

-27.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$720 €647

123.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$578 €520

105.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$1,275 €1,146

120.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$1,108 €995

81.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$3,345 €3,006

134.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$2,379 €2,138

92.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,269 €2,937

-51.82%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Dortmund

$578 28.2% 51.4% $612

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Dortmund

$346 16.9% 27.2% $74

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Dortmund

$281 13.7% 15.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Dortmund

$486 23.7% 129% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Dortmund

$181 8.8% 9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Dortmund

$71 3.5% 10.8% $6.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Dortmund

$107 5.2% 69.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $720 in Dortmund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dortmund pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $79 in Dortmund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $346 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

600,933

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Dortmund 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Dortmund

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 Dortmund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $720 in Dortmund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $62 versus $79 in Dortmund. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $2,050 in Dortmund – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Dortmund is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Dortmund are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.