Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Douala

For one person, living is cheaper in Douala: $1,334 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Douala

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,334 in Douala, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Douala $1,334

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,160 in Douala, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Douala $2,160

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,985 in Douala, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Douala $2,985

Lisbon costs about 66% more than Douala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Douala is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$4.37 FCFA 2,558

281.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$122 FCFA 71.1K

-49.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$6.93 FCFA 4,053

63.92%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.13 FCFA 1,246

39.44%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$1.64 FCFA 960

39.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.76 FCFA 445

128.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$1.20 FCFA 704

183.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.61 FCFA 1,528

26.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.90 FCFA 1,698

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.41 FCFA 238

365.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.18 FCFA 1,277

-30.73%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$1.85 FCFA 1,082

117.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

-42.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$7.87 FCFA 4,604

-1.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$6.18 FCFA 3,614

187.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.60 FCFA 2,692

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.03 FCFA 1,185

-14.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.08 FCFA 1,215

-10.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.38 FCFA 809

87.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$3.18 FCFA 1,860

-42.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.15 FCFA 1,260

-8.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.76 FCFA 443

93.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.67 FCFA 391

7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$2.53 FCFA 1,478

160.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$8.59 FCFA 5,024

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.40 FCFA 821

-2.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.78 FCFA 1,041

20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.66 FCFA 388

253.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$17.06 FCFA 9,978

161.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$0.58 FCFA 338

563.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.81 FCFA 476

32.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$8.33 FCFA 4,871

97.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.41 FCFA 824

56.03%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

16.13%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

147.96%

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

$161 €144

$162 FCFA 94.9K

-0.59%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

-26.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$178 FCFA 103.9K

-81.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$41.23 FCFA 24.1K

8.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$8.77 FCFA 5,129

9.46%

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

$668 €596

$505 FCFA 295.5K

32.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

420.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$80.1 FCFA 46.8K

27.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$68.1 FCFA 39.8K

-34.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$136 FCFA 79.6K

-27.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$147 FCFA 86.0K

-15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$567 FCFA 331.9K

183.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$313 FCFA 183.0K

280.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$1,338 FCFA 782.7K

110.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$542 FCFA 316.9K

271.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

296.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$952 FCFA 556.8K

380.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

$222 FCFA 129.6K

610.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

19.04

-79.78%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Douala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Douala

$313 23.4% 73.7% $877

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Douala

$277 20.8% 1.8% $4.9

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Douala

$102 7.7% 57.9% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Douala

$365 27.4% 71.9% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Douala

$194 14.5% 17% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Douala

$59 4.4% 7.8% $5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Douala

$24 1.8% 61.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $567 in Douala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $122 in Douala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $277 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇲 Douala

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Douala 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Douala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,001 in Douala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,334 in Douala. That makes Douala about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $505 in Douala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Douala, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Douala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Douala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Douala. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.