Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Samana

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $712 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Samana, Dominican Republic
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,206
/mo nomad
Samana
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$712
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Samana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $712 in Samana.

  • Lisbon $2,206
  • Samana $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,168 in Samana.

  • Lisbon $3,276
  • Samana $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,625 in Samana.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Samana $1,625

Living in Lisbon is roughly 210% more expensive than in Samana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Samana is 47% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 €15.08
$8.05 DOP 484
109.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 €54.6
$41.69 DOP 2,504
46.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.98 €9.82
$7.03 DOP 422
56.19%
Cappuccino
$3.05 €2.73
$1.74 DOP 105
75.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 €2.04
$0.67 DOP 40.26
240.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.50
$0.40 DOP 24.10
320.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €3.07
$2.39 DOP 144
43.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 €3.49
$3.87 DOP 232
1.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.15 DOP 69.2
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 €1.69
$1.69 DOP 101
11.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 €1.34
$1.53 DOP 92.0
-1.96%
Eggs
$4.12 €3.68
$1.42 DOP 85.2
190.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.01 €11.63
$6.07 DOP 364
114.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.04 €7.19
$3.50 DOP 210
129.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.89 €16.00
$4.76 DOP 286
275.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.03
$3.66 DOP 220
-37.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.44 DOP 86.5
20.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$3.34 DOP 200
-45.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.69 €2.40
$1.84 DOP 110
46.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 €1.58
$3.44 DOP 207
-48.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 €1.73
$2.91 DOP 175
-33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$0.93 DOP 55.9
56.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 €0.68
$1.63 DOP 97.7
-53.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.66 €5.95
$4.82 DOP 290
38.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.04
$8.30 DOP 499
-32.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.15
$2.96 DOP 178
-56.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$3.44 DOP 207
-37.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.30 €2.06
$0.81 DOP 48.56
183.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.02 €39.36
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 €3.56
$2.43 DOP 146
63.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 €0.57
$3.19 DOP 191
-79.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.93 €16.92
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.20 DOP 71.8
90.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K €29.8K
$14.7K DOP 882.7K
127.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.4K
$25.8K DOP 1.5M
49.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 €141
$92.2 DOP 5,539
71.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.54 €15.68
$16.54 DOP 993
6.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.18 €27.89
$37.91 DOP 2,277
-17.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.64 €39.92
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.98 €16.97
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.58 €8.56
$4.81 DOP 289
99.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$674 €602
$149 DOP 8,928
353.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K €16.7K
$5,316 DOP 319.3K
252.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$25.70 DOP 1,544
297.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.90 €41.04
$44.73 DOP 2,686
2.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.4
$62.0 DOP 3,726
64.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 €109
$65.7 DOP 3,948
85.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,641 €1,467
$131 DOP 7,840
1156.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 €1,062
$97.1 DOP 5,834
1122.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,825 €2,526
$325 DOP 19.5K
768.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,018 €1,805
$242 DOP 14.6K
732.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,836 €7,007
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,701 €4,204
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Samana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,687 €1,508
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.82
11
-65.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Samana: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Samana
$97 91.8% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$275
Samana
$217 20.8% $57
Eating Out
Lisbon
$245
Samana
$130 46.8% $115
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$207
Samana
$147 29.1% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Samana
$89 46.8% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Samana
$9.6 * 84.9% $54
Getting Around
Lisbon
$60
Samana
$22 * 64.3% $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 $1,641 in Lisbon and $131 in Samana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $42 in Samana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $217 per month, with Samana cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇩🇴 Samana
🕒 Local time
22:02 10:02 PM
18:02 6:02 PM
4 h behind Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
108,179
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Samana 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Samana

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 Samana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Samana?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $712 in Samana, so Samana is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lisbon compared to Samana?
You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,068 in Samana 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 Samana?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $131 in Samana. 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 26% 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 Samana?
All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $712 in Samana – Samana is about 68% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $800 per month?
At $712 in Samana versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Samana but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Samana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Samana?
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.

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