Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santo Domingo Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este: $637 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo Este
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Santo Domingo Este Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo Este

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Santo Domingo Este

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 Santo Domingo Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $637 in Santo Domingo Este.

Lisbon $2,210
Santo Domingo Este $637

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,035 in Santo Domingo Este.

Lisbon $3,275
Santo Domingo Este $1,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,434 in Santo Domingo Este.

Lisbon $4,341
Santo Domingo Este $1,434

Living in Lisbon is roughly 247% more expensive than in Santo Domingo Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Santo Domingo Este is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$5.04 DOP 304

230.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$41.28 DOP 2,491

49.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$6.50 DOP 392

74.77%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$1.01 DOP 60.7

194.06%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.01 DOP 61.0

126.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.55 DOP 33.12

216.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.46 DOP 149

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.16 DOP 191

4.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.35 DOP 81.5

-14.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.53 DOP 92.6

24.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.60 DOP 96.7

-5.63%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.26 DOP 137

77.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.33 DOP 443

76.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$5.39 DOP 325

44.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$6.63 DOP 400

167.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.23 DOP 195

-28.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.83 DOP 50.2

108.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.64 DOP 160

-29.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.85 DOP 111

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.01 DOP 121

-9.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.13 DOP 129

-7.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.03 DOP 61.9

42.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.92 DOP 55.7

-21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$5.12 DOP 309

28.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$10.23 DOP 617

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.53 DOP 153

-46.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.96 DOP 179

-27.70%

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

$3.25 DOP 196

18.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.15 DOP 130

-50.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$5.70 DOP 344

188.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.24 DOP 74.8

77.42%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$29.5K DOP 1.8M

15.80%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.7K DOP 2.0M

15.04%

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

$161 €144

$93.2 DOP 5,626

72.93%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$30.91 DOP 1,865

-40.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$35.35 DOP 2,133

-7.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.16 DOP 432

34.08%

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

$668 €598

$252 DOP 15.2K

165.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,312 DOP 441.3K

140.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$44.56 DOP 2,689

128.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$46.17 DOP 2,787

-3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$84.7 DOP 5,114

16.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$122 DOP 7,392

0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$594 DOP 35.9K

164.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

13.56

-71.61%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Santo Domingo Este

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Santo Domingo Este

$219 34.3% 19.7% $54

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Santo Domingo Este

$97 15.2% 60.1% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Santo Domingo Este

$159 25% 24.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Santo Domingo Este

$134 21% 19.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.3% 77.5% $49

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.2% 77.8% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays about 2.6 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $41 in Santo Domingo Este for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $219 per month, with Santo Domingo Este cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo Este

🕒 Local time

09:50 9:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,000,230

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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 = 67.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Santo Domingo Este 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Santo Domingo Este

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 Santo Domingo Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $637 in Santo Domingo Este, so Santo Domingo Este is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $637 in Santo Domingo Este – Santo Domingo Este is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $637 in Santo Domingo Este versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo Este but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo Este the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

It comes down to priorities – Santo Domingo Este wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.