Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santo Domingo Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Santo Domingo

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,291 in Lisbon versus $1,096 in Santo Domingo.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,322 in Lisbon versus $1,824 in Santo Domingo.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,354 in Lisbon versus $2,552 in Santo Domingo.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 109% more expensive than in Santo Domingo, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 71% above, Santo Domingo is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 €14.15

$8.66 DOP 504

86.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 €55.3

$50.9 DOP 2,961

24.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 €9.02

$7.23 DOP 421

42.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 €2.47

$2.63 DOP 153

7.60%

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

$2.29 €2.00

$0.99 DOP 57.4

131.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.38

$0.82 DOP 48.02

92.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €2.97

$2.57 DOP 150

32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.52

$4.99 DOP 291

-19.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.95

$1.34 DOP 78.0

-18.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.53

$1.71 DOP 99.6

2.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.54

$1.50 DOP 87.4

17.33%

Eggs

$3.17 €2.77

$2.27 DOP 132

39.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 €11.53

$7.18 DOP 418

83.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €6.96

$6.29 DOP 366

26.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.53 €13.57

$11.19 DOP 652

38.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.07

$3.21 DOP 187

-26.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.49

$0.86 DOP 49.84

98.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 €1.75

$2.88 DOP 168

-30.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.12

$1.93 DOP 112

25.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.54

$2.52 DOP 147

-30.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.78

$2.36 DOP 138

-13.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 €1.68

$1.09 DOP 63.5

76.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.74

$0.90 DOP 52.3

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.75

$5.78 DOP 337

13.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 €4.87

$10.70 DOP 623

-47.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.16

$2.63 DOP 153

-49.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.60

$3.20 DOP 186

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €1.99

$0.57 DOP 33.26

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.79 €40.01

$68.7 DOP 4,000

-33.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 €3.69

$3.36 DOP 196

25.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.71

$2.19 DOP 128

-63.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.44 €16.11

$5.98 DOP 348

208.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.82

$1.33 DOP 77.2

56.39%

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

$34.7K €30.3K

$26.1K DOP 1.5M

32.66%

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

$39.2K €34.2K

$32.3K DOP 1.9M

21.08%

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

$148 €129

$75.6 DOP 4,403

95.83%

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

$20.46 €17.88

$25.29 DOP 1,473

-19.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.56 €34.56

$35.48 DOP 2,066

11.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.99 €41.93

$36.45 DOP 2,123

31.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.60 €16.25

$14.32 DOP 834

29.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 €8.06

$6.76 DOP 394

36.39%

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

$616 €538

$263 DOP 15.3K

134.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.4K

$8,020 DOP 467.1K

104.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €89.7

$60.3 DOP 3,513

70.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.74 €36.47

$52.0 DOP 3,027

-19.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 €82.8

$96.9 DOP 5,641

-2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €107

$114 DOP 6,656

6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 €1,426

$564 DOP 32.9K

189.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 €1,077

$285 DOP 16.6K

332.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 €2,707

$1,175 DOP 68.4K

163.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 €1,775

$685 DOP 39.9K

196.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,831 €6,842

$2,168 DOP 126.2K

261.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 €3,835

$1,179 DOP 68.7K

272.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,607 €1,404

$621 DOP 36.2K

158.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

12.9

-70.47%

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

Last update for Lisbon: July 14, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,633 in Lisbon and $564 in Santo Domingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 159% 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: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $51.0 in Santo Domingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $243 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Santo Domingo differ by about 109% in total monthly costs ($2,291 vs $1,096 including rent). Santo Domingo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 159% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,633 in Lisbon versus $564 in Santo Domingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $616 in Lisbon versus $263 in Santo Domingo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,096 in Santo Domingo versus $2,291 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Santo Domingo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santo Domingo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.