Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dresden

For one person, living is cheaper in Dresden: $1,950 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Dresden
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Dresden Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Dresden

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dresden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,950 in Dresden.

Lisbon $2,210
Dresden $1,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,979 in Dresden.

Lisbon $3,275
Dresden $2,979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $4,008 in Dresden.

Lisbon $4,341
Dresden $4,008

Living in Lisbon is roughly 13% more expensive than in Dresden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Dresden 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$18.79 €16.88

-11.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$83.6 €75.1

-26.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.27 €10.13

0.80%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.19 €3.76

-29.12%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$3.57 €3.20

-35.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$3.13 €2.82

-44.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.01 €5.40

-43.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.44 €5.79

-48.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.25 €1.12

-7.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.07 €1.86

-7.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.82 €2.53

-46.45%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.82 €3.43

5.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$17.43 €15.66

-25.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$11.73 €10.54

-33.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$22.15 €19.90

-19.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.16 €2.84

-27.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.97 €1.77

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.16 €1.94

-13.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.83 €3.44

-32.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.53 €1.38

18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.48 €1.33

33.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.50 €1.34

-2.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.25 €1.12

-42.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.56 €8.59

-31.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$5.74 €5.16

-2.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.13 €1.02

20.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.41 €1.27

51.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.82 €3.43

-39.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$71.7 €64.4

-37.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.45 €4.00

-13.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.70 €2.43

-60.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$33.89 €30.45

-51.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.33 €2.09

-5.58%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.3K €29.9K

2.65%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$37.9K €34.1K

2.06%

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

$161 €145

$391 €351

-58.76%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$20.99 €18.85

-12.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$43.76 €39.31

-25.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$34.70 €31.18

28.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$25.48 €22.89

-25.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$13.66 €12.27

-29.72%

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

$668 €600

$902 €810

-25.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$15.6K €14.0K

13.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$86.9 €78.0

17.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$40.49 €36.37

9.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$107 €95.8

-7.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$119 €107

3.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$749 €673

114.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$523 €470

127.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,571 €1,411

79.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$972 €873

107.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$4,645 €4,173

68.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,684 €2,411

70.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$2,989 €2,685

-47.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.96

-2.78%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dresden: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Dresden

$523 26.8% 56% $667

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Dresden

$341 17.5% 25.2% $69

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Dresden

$304 15.6% 25.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Dresden

$456 23.4% 115% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Dresden

$159 8.2% 4.2% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Dresden

$62 3.2% 2.7% $1.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Dresden

$105 5.4% 66% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $749 in Dresden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dresden pays 90% 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 $84 in Dresden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $341 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇪 Dresden

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

556,780

💱 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 Dresden 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min 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 Dresden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dresden wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dresden the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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 $749 in Dresden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,950 in Dresden – Dresden is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 38% less than in Dresden. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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 Dresden are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.