Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo, Ecuador and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $723 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$723

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $723 in Santo Domingo versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Santo Domingo $723
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,190 in Santo Domingo versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Santo Domingo $1,190
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,657 in Santo Domingo versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Santo Domingo $1,657
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Santo Domingo costs roughly 67% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santo Domingo is 47% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 $3.96

$16.65 €14.95

-76.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.5 $51.5

$61.7 €55.5

-16.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$11.36 €10.20

-19.45%

Cappuccino

$1.98 $1.98

$2.97 €2.67

-33.33%

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

$0.88 $0.88

$2.29 €2.06

-61.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.74 €1.56

-58.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.40 €3.06

-41.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.31 €2.97

25.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.16 €1.04

-12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.91 €1.72

1.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.51 €1.36

-13.25%

Eggs

$2.01 $2.01

$4.02 €3.61

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$12.94 €11.62

-66.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$7.77 €6.98

-61.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$17.76 €15.95

-80.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.30 €2.07

-34.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.73 €1.56

-43.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.86 €1.67

-45.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.59 €2.33

-64.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.82 €1.64

-46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.97 €1.77

-53.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.47 €1.32

-44.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.72 €0.65

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$6.58 €5.91

-10.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.04 $5.04

$5.61 €5.04

-10.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.36 €1.22

10.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.14 €1.92

-0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$2.33 €2.10

-85.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.85 €3.46

-26.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.07 €0.96

68.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.11 $12.11

$16.46 €14.79

-26.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.20 €1.98

-59.09%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$34.2K €30.7K

-32.50%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$38.7K €34.8K

-21.22%

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

$34.76 $34.76

$161 €145

-78.44%

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

$9.83 $9.83

$18.41 €16.54

-46.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.21 $23.21

$32.74 €29.41

-29.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.57 $32.57

$44.55 €40.02

-26.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 $17.80

$19.10 €17.16

-6.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 $7.55

$9.60 €8.62

-21.35%

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

$379 $379

$668 €600

-43.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,642 $5,642

$17.6K €15.8K

-67.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.97 $19.97

$102 €91.6

-80.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.92 $29.92

$44.46 €39.94

-32.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.4 $50.4

$98.5 €88.5

-48.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.26 $49.26

$124 €111

-60.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 $422

$1,608 €1,445

-73.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$1,190 €1,069

-76.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$2,812 €2,526

-70.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 $499

$2,013 €1,808

-75.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$4,576 €4,110

122.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$401 $401

$1,575 €1,415

-74.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

3.85

161.04%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$274 37.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 334% $916

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$145 20.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 87.5% $127

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$108 14.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 126% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$68 9.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 213% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$67 9.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 147% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$48 6.6%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 33.7% $16

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$13 * 1.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 381% $50

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 $422 in Santo Domingo and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $51 in Santo Domingo vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $145 vs $272 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

5 h ahead of Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,875

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santo Domingo Lisbon 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Santo Domingo
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

Santo Domingo vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $723 in Santo Domingo and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Santo Domingo is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Santo Domingo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $422 in Santo Domingo versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $723 per month in Santo Domingo versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Santo Domingo is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $723 in Santo Domingo versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 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.

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