Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Plata and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Plata: $808 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Puerto Plata
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$808
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Plata and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Puerto Plata and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $808 in Puerto Plata versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Puerto Plata $808
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,325 in Puerto Plata versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Puerto Plata $1,325
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,841 in Puerto Plata versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Puerto Plata $1,841
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Puerto Plata costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Puerto Plata is 40% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.54 DOP 340
$17.04 €15.15
-67.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.63 DOP 1,999
$62.3 €55.4
-47.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.35 DOP 450
$11.02 €9.80
-33.30%
Cappuccino
$1.45 DOP 89.0
$3.12 €2.78
-53.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 DOP 42.34
$2.27 €2.02
-69.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 DOP 19.58
$1.74 €1.55
-81.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.92 DOP 117
$3.42 €3.04
-43.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 DOP 145
$3.74 €3.33
-36.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 DOP 73.7
$1.17 €1.04
2.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 DOP 97.1
$1.86 €1.66
-15.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 DOP 61.8
$1.54 €1.37
-34.42%
Eggs
$1.31 DOP 80.4
$4.06 €3.61
-67.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.81 DOP 233
$12.91 €11.49
-70.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.37 DOP 329
$7.90 €7.03
-32.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.44 DOP 333
$17.64 €15.69
-69.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.37 DOP 145
$2.26 €2.01
4.87%
Banana (1kg)
$0.82 DOP 50.5
$1.75 €1.55
-53.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 DOP 103
$1.89 €1.68
-11.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.88 DOP 53.7
$2.56 €2.27
-65.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 DOP 63.4
$1.85 €1.64
-44.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 DOP 72.7
$1.97 €1.75
-39.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.84 DOP 51.2
$1.45 €1.29
-42.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 DOP 57.0
$0.77 €0.69
20.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.47 DOP 152
$6.71 €5.97
-63.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.20 DOP 564
$5.67 €5.04
62.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.03 DOP 124
$1.37 €1.22
48.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 DOP 180
$2.11 €1.88
39.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 DOP 57.8
$2.32 €2.07
-59.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 DOP 200
$3.95 €3.51
-17.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.26 DOP 139
$1.05 €0.93
115.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.73 DOP 351
$17.15 €15.26
-66.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 DOP 77.5
$2.19 €1.95
-42.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K DOP 1.8M
$33.8K €30.0K
-12.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K DOP 2.1M
$38.3K €34.0K
-10.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.41 DOP 2,537
$164 €146
-74.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.67 DOP 1,389
$18.48 €16.43
22.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.58 DOP 2,179
$32.96 €29.32
7.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$45.87 €40.80
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.68 €16.61
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.81 DOP 295
$9.75 €8.67
-50.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$250 DOP 15.3K
$684 €608
-63.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,310 DOP 447.8K
$17.6K €15.7K
-58.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.91 DOP 1,158
$104 €92.3
-81.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$12.87 DOP 788
$46.20 €41.09
-72.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.1 DOP 5,274
$99.7 €88.7
-13.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 DOP 7,375
$125 €111
-3.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$437 DOP 26.8K
$1,589 €1,414
-72.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$297 DOP 18.2K
$1,169 €1,040
-74.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 DOP 50.8K
$2,851 €2,536
-70.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$670 DOP 41.1K
$1,993 €1,773
-66.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,793 €6,932
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,418 €3,930
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Puerto Plata
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$331 DOP 20.2K
$1,600 €1,423
-79.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.56
3.85
252.21%

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

Last update for Puerto Plata: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Puerto Plata
$297
Lisbon
$1.2K 293% $872
Groceries & Markets
Puerto Plata
$174
Lisbon
$273 56.9% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Plata
$107
Lisbon
$168 57.1% $61
Eating Out
Puerto Plata
$102
Lisbon
$247 142% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Plata
$100
Lisbon
$215 116% $116
Getting Around
Puerto Plata
$18 *
Lisbon
$63 243% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Plata
$9.6 *
Lisbon
$65 579% $56

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 $437 in Puerto Plata and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 384% 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: $33.00 in Puerto Plata vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $273 per month, with Puerto Plata cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇩🇴 Puerto Plata
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
12:03 12:03 PM
17:03 5:03 PM
5 h ahead of Puerto Plata
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
130,000
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Puerto Plata Lisbon 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Puerto Plata
  • Lisbon

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
Puerto Plata vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Puerto Plata and in Lisbon?
Puerto Plata and Lisbon differ by about 172% in total monthly costs ($808 vs $2,202 including rent). Puerto Plata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 384% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Puerto Plata and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $437 in Puerto Plata versus $1,589 in Lisbon. 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 57% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Puerto Plata or Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $808 per month in Puerto Plata versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 172% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $808 in Puerto Plata versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Plata but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Plata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Puerto Plata and Lisbon?
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 Puerto Plata or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Puerto Plata and Lisbon 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: Puerto Plata or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Puerto Plata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 172% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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