Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sosua

For one person, living is cheaper in Sosua: $1,419 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sosua
Learn more

Sosua Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Sosua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,419

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sosua

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,419 in Sosua.

Lisbon $2,223
Sosua $1,419

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,218 in Sosua.

Lisbon $3,271
Sosua $2,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,018 in Sosua.

Lisbon $4,319
Sosua $3,018

Living in Lisbon is roughly 57% more expensive than in Sosua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Sosua 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$9.98 DOP 611

65.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$48.89 DOP 2,995

25.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$7.44 DOP 456

51.48%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.20 DOP 135

39.09%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.05 DOP 64.6

115.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.58 DOP 35.66

198.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.52 DOP 155

34.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.31 DOP 202

2.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.33 DOP 81.4

-15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.54 DOP 94.3

20.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.63 DOP 38.75

142.86%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.99 DOP 122

98.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.13 DOP 437

78.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$5.55 DOP 340

42.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$6.76 DOP 414

151.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.05 DOP 187

-25.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$0.83 DOP 50.8

110.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.77 DOP 169

-33.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.30 DOP 79.6

97.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.67 DOP 102

11.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.13 DOP 131

-5.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.68 DOP 41.85

111.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.42 DOP 25.81

95.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$5.42 DOP 332

21.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.10 DOP 619

-44.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.51 DOP 154

-49.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.36 DOP 145

-12.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.20 DOP 196

24.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.28 DOP 139

-52.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$5.89 DOP 361

182.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.23 DOP 75.2

85.37%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$23.1K DOP 1.4M

45.65%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$33.6K DOP 2.1M

16.95%

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

$167 €149

$65.6 DOP 4,020

155.24%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$28.03 DOP 1,717

-32.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$33.48 DOP 2,051

-1.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$7.25 DOP 444

35.72%

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

$677 €602

$249 DOP 15.3K

171.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$7,322 DOP 448.6K

131.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$45.41 DOP 2,782

122.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$45.44 DOP 2,783

0.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$86.0 DOP 5,269

16.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$125 DOP 7,665

-1.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$852 DOP 52.2K

89.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$771 DOP 47.3K

55.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$1,704 DOP 104.4K

67.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$1,487 DOP 91.1K

33.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,796 DOP 110.0K

321.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,727 DOP 105.8K

149.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

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 11, 2026

Last update for Sosua: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Sosua

$771 54.4% 35.6% $426

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Sosua

$201 14.2% 25.4% $68

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Sosua

$154 10.9% 36.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Sosua

$127 9% 42% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sosua

$136 9.6% 18.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Sosua

$15 * 1% 77.9% $51

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Sosua

$15 * 1% 76.9% $48

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 $852 in Sosua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $49.00 in Sosua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $201 per month, with Sosua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇩🇴 Sosua

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

5 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

7,713

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Sosua 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Sosua

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 Sosua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Sosua differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,419 including rent). Sosua is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $2,128 in Sosua 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $852 in Sosua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,419 in Sosua – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,419 in Sosua versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sosua but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Sosua 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 Sosua 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 Sosua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.