Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changzhou and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
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Changzhou Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $741 in Changzhou versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Changzhou $741
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,217 in Changzhou versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Changzhou $1,217
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Changzhou versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Changzhou $1,694
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Changzhou 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: Changzhou is 45% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.50

$16.50 €14.67

-82.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.54 ¥191

$61.3 €54.5

-53.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ¥30.16

$11.27 €10.03

-59.98%

Cappuccino

$2.22 ¥14.82

$3.06 €2.72

-27.45%

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

$0.38 ¥2.55

$2.26 €2.01

-83.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$1.73 €1.54

-86.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$3.39 €3.02

-81.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.69

$3.40 €3.02

-57.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.47

$1.12 €1.00

66.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥8.59

$1.86 €1.65

-31.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.65

$1.53 €1.36

-34.64%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.53

$3.96 €3.53

-56.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ¥49.53

$12.76 €11.35

-41.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 ¥18.85

$7.90 €7.02

-64.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 ¥82.6

$16.97 €15.09

-27.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ¥14.44

$2.27 €2.02

-4.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.58

$1.75 €1.55

-1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.14

$1.85 €1.64

6.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.96

$2.57 €2.28

-59.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.13

$1.86 €1.65

-58.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$2.02 €1.80

-50.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$1.44 €1.28

-72.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.18

$0.82 €0.73

-24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ¥22.03

$6.56 €5.83

-49.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 ¥70.8

$5.62 €5.00

88.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.28 €1.14

-35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$2.07 €1.84

-24.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$2.35 €2.09

-85.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.32 ¥95.8

$44.18 €39.30

-67.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$3.99 €3.55

-62.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.09 €0.97

-71.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$16.64 €14.81

-82.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$2.28 €2.03

-42.54%

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

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-49.32%

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

$13.8K ¥92.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-64.86%

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

$57.5 ¥385

$167 €149

-65.66%

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

$8.13 ¥54.3

$18.80 €16.72

-56.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.66 ¥71.3

$33.09 €29.43

-67.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 ¥271

$46.01 €40.93

-11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.75 ¥98.6

$19.19 €17.07

-23.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 ¥30.53

$9.84 €8.75

-53.56%

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

$251 ¥1,681

$677 €602

-62.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ¥101.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-10.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ¥370

$101 €90.1

-45.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.58 ¥151

$45.76 €40.70

-50.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ¥508

$100.0 €88.9

-23.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.2 ¥510

$123 €109

-37.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 ¥1,908

$1,614 €1,436

-82.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ¥1,529

$1,197 €1,065

-80.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 ¥6,132

$2,862 €2,545

-67.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥3,311

$1,990 €1,770

-75.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,942 ¥19.7K

$7,577 €6,740

-61.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,613 ¥10.8K

$4,307 €3,831

-62.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 ¥7,131

$1,588 €1,412

-32.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.85

-12.99%

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

Last update for Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Changzhou

$229 30.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 424% $968

Groceries & Markets

Changzhou

$192 25.9%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 40.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Changzhou

$104 14%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 60.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changzhou

$76 10.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 188% $143

Eating Out

Changzhou

$72 9.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 237% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Changzhou

$50 6.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 32.1% $16

Getting Around

Changzhou

$19 2.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 237% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $285 in Changzhou and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 49% 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: $29.00 in Changzhou vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $269 per month, with Changzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

05:26 5:26 AM

7 h behind Changzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,278,121

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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changzhou Lisbon 10,570 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Changzhou
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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

Changzhou vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 200% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $285 in Changzhou versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Changzhou – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Changzhou 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.

Expats usually find Changzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 200% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.