Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dover

For one person, living costs are similar in Lisbon and in Dover: $2,223 and $2,173 a month, rent and utilities included.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Dover
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,173
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dover

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $2,173 in Dover, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Dover $2,173

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $3,145 in Dover, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Dover $3,145

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $4,116 in Dover, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Dover $4,116

Lisbon costs about 2% more than Dover, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lisbon and Dover sit above the global median – Lisbon by 65%, Dover by 61%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$21.09 £15.82
-21.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$66.2 £49.69
-7.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$10.72 £8.05
5.13%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$4.44 £3.33
-31.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.39 £1.79
-5.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$1.39 £1.05
24.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$3.98 £2.99
-14.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$3.97 £2.98
-14.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.39 £1.04
-19.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.02 £0.77
82.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$1.61 £1.21
-4.97%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$3.02 £2.27
31.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$9.42 £7.06
35.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$7.57 £5.68
4.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$14.33 £10.75
18.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$3.17 £2.38
-28.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$1.45 £1.09
20.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.81 £2.11
-34.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$3.30 £2.48
-22.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.65 £1.24
12.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.48 £1.11
36.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$1.29 £0.97
11.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$0.82 £0.62
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$23.07 £17.31
-71.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$11.02 £8.27
-49.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$2.78 £2.08
-53.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$3.66 £2.75
-43.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$3.92 £2.94
-40.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
$106 £79.8
-58.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$5.10 £3.82
-21.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.34 £1.01
-18.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
$21.55 £16.17
-22.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.04 £1.53
11.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$38.2K £28.6K
-11.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$39.8K £29.8K
-1.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$247 £185
-32.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$21.62 £16.22
-13.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$39.57 £29.68
-16.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$46.88 £35.17
-1.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
$26.33 £19.76
-27.12%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$12.32 £9.24
-20.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$1,056 £792
-35.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$19.5K £14.6K
-13.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$70.1 £52.6
44.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$31.70 £23.78
44.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$78.6 £58.9
27.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$50.0 £37.52
145.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
$1,110 £833
45.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
$989 £742
21.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
$1,770 £1,328
61.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
$1,548 £1,161
28.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
$5,245 £3,935
44.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
$3,301 £2,477
30.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Dover
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$2,873 £2,156
-44.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.91
-21.59%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dover: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Dover
$989 17.4% $208
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Dover
$270 0.3% $0.9
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Dover
$297 22.7% $55
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Dover
$308 40.4% $89
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Dover
$104 37.7% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Dover
$72 8.9% $5.8
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Dover
$134 113% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $1,110 in Dover. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 81% higher in Dover, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $66.0 in Dover. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $270 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇬🇧 Dover
🕒 Local time
09:41 9:41 AM
09:41 9:41 AM
Same time as Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
34,087
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Dover 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Dover

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 Dover: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dover cheaper than Lisbon?
Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $3,260 in Dover. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Dover, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Lisbon and $1,056 in Dover. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Lisbon and in Dover?
Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Lisbon or in Dover?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Dover, where all-in costs run around $2,173, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Dover it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Lisbon or Dover more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Dover – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Lisbon or Dover?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Dover. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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