Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,185 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beijing (Pekin) 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 Beijing (Pekin) and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Lisbon $4,346

Beijing (Pekin) is about 46% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Beijing (Pekin) sits 13% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$17.04 €15.15

-73.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$62.3 €55.4

-51.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$11.02 €9.80

-51.36%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$3.12 €2.78

14.42%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$2.27 €2.02

-77.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$1.74 €1.55

-83.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$3.42 €3.04

-65.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$3.74 €3.33

-54.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.17 €1.04

48.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$1.86 €1.66

-4.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$1.54 €1.37

-16.23%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$4.06 €3.61

-51.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$12.91 €11.49

10.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$7.90 €7.03

-58.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$17.64 €15.69

-37.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$2.26 €2.01

-6.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.75 €1.55

-1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.89 €1.68

10.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$2.56 €2.27

-39.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$1.85 €1.64

-62.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$1.97 €1.75

-53.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$1.45 €1.29

-48.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.77 €0.69

-20.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$6.71 €5.97

-36.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$5.67 €5.04

145.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$1.37 €1.22

-25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$2.11 €1.88

-14.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$2.32 €2.07

-70.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$44.43 €39.52

-21.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$3.95 €3.51

-51.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$1.05 €0.93

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$17.15 €15.26

-57.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$2.19 €1.95

-39.27%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$33.8K €30.0K

-41.88%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$38.3K €34.0K

-52.86%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$164 €146

-63.95%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$18.48 €16.43

-52.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$32.96 €29.32

-56.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$45.87 €40.80

-10.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$18.68 €16.61

33.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$9.75 €8.67

-23.69%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$684 €608

-4.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$17.6K €15.7K

36.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$104 €92.3

-31.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$46.20 €41.09

-13.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$99.7 €88.7

-11.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$125 €111

1.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$1,589 €1,414

-40.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$1,169 €1,040

-55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$2,851 €2,536

-17.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$1,993 €1,773

-43.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$7,793 €6,932

57.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$4,418 €3,930

45.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$1,600 €1,423

7.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.85

-18.96%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 123% $646

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 19.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 14.8% $22

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 130% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 162% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 16.9% $9.4

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 52.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $273 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

12:11 12:11 PM

7 h behind Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

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

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Beijing (Pekin) Lisbon 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
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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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beijing (Pekin), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) and $62.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin) and $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 86%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Beijing (Pekin). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.