Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bortala and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bortala, China
Lisbon, Portugal
Bortala
🇨🇳 China
$758
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $758 in Bortala versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Bortala $758
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,168 in Bortala versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Bortala $1,168
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,577 in Bortala versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Bortala $1,577
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Bortala costs roughly 66% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bortala is 44% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.99 ¥19.86
$16.65 €14.87
-82.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.84 ¥152
$61.7 €55.2
-63.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.86 ¥32.30
$11.36 €10.14
-57.22%
Cappuccino
$2.79 ¥18.52
$2.97 €2.65
-6.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ¥3.18
$2.29 €2.04
-79.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 ¥2.10
$1.74 €1.56
-81.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.11 ¥7.38
$3.40 €3.04
-67.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 ¥14.33
$3.31 €2.96
-34.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.87 ¥12.44
$1.16 €1.03
61.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.59 ¥10.57
$1.91 €1.71
-16.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.95 ¥6.29
$1.51 €1.35
-37.09%
Eggs
$1.60 ¥10.66
$4.02 €3.59
-60.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.42 ¥89.2
$12.94 €11.56
3.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.36 ¥22.35
$7.77 €6.94
-56.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.29 ¥75.1
$17.76 €15.86
-36.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 ¥12.53
$2.30 €2.06
-17.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 ¥8.88
$1.73 €1.55
-22.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 ¥10.01
$1.86 €1.66
-18.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 ¥8.35
$2.59 €2.31
-51.35%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ¥4.99
$1.82 €1.63
-58.79%
Onion (1kg)
$0.98 ¥6.49
$1.97 €1.76
-50.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.95
$1.47 €1.31
-59.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ¥3.89
$0.72 €0.65
-18.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.71 ¥24.68
$6.58 €5.88
-43.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.52 ¥76.6
$5.61 €5.01
105.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ¥5.88
$1.36 €1.22
-35.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ¥10.30
$2.14 €1.91
-27.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ¥1.87
$2.33 €2.08
-87.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.99 ¥106
$44.68 €39.91
-64.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ¥10.46
$3.85 €3.44
-59.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ¥2.15
$1.07 €0.96
-70.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.15 ¥47.55
$16.46 €14.70
-56.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥7.80
$2.20 €1.97
-46.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K ¥129.0K
$34.2K €30.5K
-43.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.2K ¥100.8K
$38.7K €34.6K
-60.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.1 ¥380
$161 €144
-64.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.48 ¥56.4
$18.41 €16.44
-53.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.13 ¥74.0
$32.74 €29.24
-66.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.95 ¥279
$44.55 €39.79
-5.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.98 ¥99.6
$19.10 €17.06
-21.57%
Cinema Ticket
$6.53 ¥43.39
$9.60 €8.57
-31.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 ¥3,013
$668 €596
-32.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.3K ¥128.4K
$17.6K €15.7K
9.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.79 ¥284
$102 €91.1
-58.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.92 ¥206
$44.46 €39.72
-30.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.6 ¥503
$98.5 €88.0
-23.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.3 ¥454
$124 €110
-44.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$291 ¥1,932
$1,608 €1,437
-81.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$214 ¥1,420
$1,190 €1,063
-82.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$582 ¥3,870
$2,812 €2,512
-79.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$343 ¥2,280
$2,013 €1,798
-82.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,687 ¥24.5K
$7,839 €7,002
-52.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,825 ¥12.1K
$4,576 €4,087
-60.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bortala
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$625 ¥4,156
$1,575 €1,407
-60.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.36
3.85
-12.73%

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

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bortala
$214
Lisbon
$1.2K 457% $977
Groceries & Markets
Bortala
$210
Lisbon
$272 29.9% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Bortala
$98
Lisbon
$166 69.4% $68
Eating Out
Bortala
$85
Lisbon
$243 186% $158
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bortala
$77
Lisbon
$212 177% $136
Sport & Entertainment
Bortala
$55
Lisbon
$64 15.9% $8.7
Getting Around
Bortala
$20
Lisbon
$63 211% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $291 in Bortala and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.5 times 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: $23 in Bortala vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $272 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Bortala
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
14:02 2:02 PM
06:02 6:02 AM
8 h behind Bortala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
246,706
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bortala Lisbon 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bortala
  • 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
Bortala vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bortala or Lisbon?
Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bortala or in Lisbon?
On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Bortala. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bortala compared to Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $291 in Bortala versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Bortala compared to Lisbon?
All in, you’ll spend $758 per month in Bortala versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Bortala is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Bortala compared to Lisbon?
A monthly transit pass in Bortala runs roughly 64% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Bortala or 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bortala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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