Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Las Terrenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Las Terrenas
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$873
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Las Terrenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $873 in Las Terrenas.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Las Terrenas $873

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,839 in Las Terrenas.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Las Terrenas $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,804 in Las Terrenas.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Las Terrenas $2,804

Living in Lisbon is roughly 153% more expensive than in Las Terrenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Las Terrenas is 36% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$8.14 DOP 491
104.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$40.74 DOP 2,458
51.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$4.90 DOP 296
131.84%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$1.02 DOP 61.7
191.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.67 DOP 40.23
241.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.41 DOP 24.65
324.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$2.49 DOP 150
36.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$3.87 DOP 233
-14.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$1.02 DOP 61.8
13.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.13 DOP 67.9
69.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.07 DOP 64.8
41.12%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.19 DOP 71.7
237.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$6.34 DOP 383
104.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$3.61 DOP 218
115.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$4.76 DOP 288
273.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.18 DOP 132
5.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$0.64 DOP 38.58
170.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.19 DOP 132
-15.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$2.15 DOP 129
20.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$2.17 DOP 131
-16.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.12 DOP 67.5
75.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$0.89 DOP 53.5
65.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.98 DOP 59.4
-26.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$4.80 DOP 290
37.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$7.03 DOP 424
-20.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$2.27 DOP 137
-40.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.06 DOP 124
3.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$2.48 DOP 150
55.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$3.33 DOP 201
-67.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.18 DOP 71.5
86.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$19.8K DOP 1.2M
72.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$24.3K DOP 1.5M
59.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$49.08 DOP 2,962
228.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$10.03 DOP 605
83.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$19.83 DOP 1,196
65.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$4.94 DOP 298
94.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$98.0 DOP 5,916
581.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$5,487 DOP 331.2K
221.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$27.02 DOP 1,631
277.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$44.64 DOP 2,694
-0.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$61.2 DOP 3,694
60.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$65.7 DOP 3,962
88.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$789 DOP 47.6K
103.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$389 DOP 23.5K
205.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$1,665 DOP 100.5K
68.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$1,640 DOP 99.0K
22.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$1,780 DOP 107.4K
340.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Las Terrenas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$393 DOP 23.7K
300.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
11
-65.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Las Terrenas
$389 67.3% $801
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Las Terrenas
$170 37.7% $103
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Las Terrenas
$117 51.9% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Las Terrenas
$79 62.8% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Las Terrenas
$89 46.1% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Las Terrenas
$9.9 * 84.5% $54
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Las Terrenas
$19 * 69.7% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $789 in Las Terrenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $41 in Las Terrenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $170 per month, with Las Terrenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇩🇴 Las Terrenas
🕒 Local time
01:40 1:40 AM
21:40 9:40 PM
4 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
7,713
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.38 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Las Terrenas 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Las Terrenas

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 Las Terrenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Las Terrenas?
Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Lisbon or in Las Terrenas?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lisbon compared to Las Terrenas?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $789 in Las Terrenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Lisbon and in Las Terrenas?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $98 in Las Terrenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Lisbon and in Las Terrenas?
Dining out is cheaper in Las Terrenas – a meal for two runs $41 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $800/month in Lisbon or in Las Terrenas?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Las Terrenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lisbon or Las Terrenas?
Both work as nomad bases, but Las Terrenas delivers better value at $873 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Las Terrenas hard to pass up.
Should I move to Lisbon or to Las Terrenas?
It comes down to priorities – Las Terrenas wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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