Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Punta Cana

For one person, living is cheaper in Punta Cana: $732 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Punta Cana
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$732
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Punta Cana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $732 in Punta Cana.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Punta Cana $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,677 in Punta Cana.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Punta Cana $1,677

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $2,622 in Punta Cana.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Punta Cana $2,622

Living in Lisbon is roughly 204% more expensive than in Punta Cana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Punta Cana is 46% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.71
$8.29 DOP 506
99.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.6
$41.44 DOP 2,531
47.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.05
$6.98 DOP 426
61.46%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.73
$1.81 DOP 111
69.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.02
$0.71 DOP 43.32
218.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$0.40 DOP 24.70
332.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$2.44 DOP 149
38.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.03
$3.85 DOP 235
-11.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.20 DOP 73.6
-6.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.80 DOP 110
3.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.43 DOP 87.1
6.99%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.54
$1.44 DOP 87.8
175.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.38
$6.42 DOP 392
98.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.04
$3.49 DOP 213
126.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.13
$4.65 DOP 284
264.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.94 DOP 179
-22.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$1.44 DOP 88.1
21.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$3.36 DOP 205
-44.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.29
$2.14 DOP 130
20.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$3.49 DOP 213
-46.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.81
$2.91 DOP 178
-30.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.29
$0.87 DOP 53.0
65.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$1.61 DOP 98.3
-49.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.85
$4.85 DOP 296
35.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.01
$16.63 DOP 1,016
-66.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$2.90 DOP 177
-55.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$3.31 DOP 202
-37.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$1.37 DOP 83.6
71.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.41
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.56
$2.53 DOP 154
57.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$3.25 DOP 199
-66.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.85
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.42 DOP 86.7
60.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$14.6K DOP 889.4K
131.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$25.0K DOP 1.5M
57.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$93.1 DOP 5,688
79.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.77
$26.76 DOP 1,634
-29.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.52
$38.04 DOP 2,323
-13.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €41.04
$84.2 DOP 5,143
-45.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.12
$16.14 DOP 985
18.90%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.78
$5.03 DOP 307
95.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €604
$147 DOP 8,983
360.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$5,484 DOP 334.9K
208.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.3
$26.44 DOP 1,615
282.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.82
$45.62 DOP 2,786
0.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €89.2
$60.3 DOP 3,682
65.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €110
$66.1 DOP 4,035
85.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,440
$950 DOP 58.0K
69.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,068
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,553
$2,606 DOP 159.2K
9.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,775
$998 DOP 60.9K
99.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,759
$2,908 DOP 177.6K
160.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,842
$1,250 DOP 76.4K
244.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Punta Cana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,416
-
-
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 11, 2026

Last update for Punta Cana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Punta Cana
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Punta Cana
$233 13.5% $36
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Punta Cana
$133 44.9% $109
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Punta Cana
$158 28% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Punta Cana
$89 46.3% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Punta Cana
$94 43.5% $29
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Punta Cana
$24 * 61.5% $39

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 $1,614 in Lisbon and $950 in Punta Cana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $41.00 in Punta Cana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $233 per month, with Punta Cana cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇩🇴 Punta Cana
🕒 Local time
19:35 7:35 PM
14:35 2:35 PM
5 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
100,023
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Punta Cana 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Punta Cana

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 Punta Cana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Punta Cana?
Lisbon and Punta Cana differ by about 204% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $732 including rent). Punta Cana is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Punta Cana?
You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $1,098 in Punta Cana to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Punta Cana?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $950 in Punta Cana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Punta Cana?
All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $732 in Punta Cana – a 204% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $732 in Punta Cana versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Punta Cana but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Punta Cana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Punta Cana?
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.
Is Lisbon or Punta Cana safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Punta Cana are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Punta Cana?
Expats usually find Punta Cana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 204% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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