Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $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 Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $741 per month in Chengdu vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

Chengdu $741
Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Chengdu vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

Chengdu $1,204
Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $1,667 per month in Chengdu vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

Chengdu $1,667
Lisbon $4,319

Chengdu is about 67% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chengdu sits 45% below the global median, while Lisbon is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.72

$16.50 €14.67

-83.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.37 ¥150

$61.3 €54.5

-63.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.85

$11.27 €10.03

-56.43%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ¥19.28

$3.06 €2.72

-5.88%

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

$0.50 ¥3.37

$2.26 €2.01

-77.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$1.73 €1.54

-83.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$3.39 €3.02

-54.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.61

$3.40 €3.02

-35.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.12 €1.00

69.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥10.02

$1.86 €1.65

-19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$1.53 €1.36

-35.29%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$3.96 €3.53

-60.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 ¥97.2

$12.76 €11.35

13.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.48

$7.90 €7.02

-53.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$16.97 €15.09

-34.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$2.27 €2.02

-18.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.19

$1.75 €1.55

-21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.28

$1.85 €1.64

-41.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.74

$2.57 €2.28

-54.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.86 €1.65

-62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$2.02 €1.80

-64.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.44 €1.28

-56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

$0.82 €0.73

-34.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 ¥24.89

$6.56 €5.83

-43.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ¥30.61

$5.62 €5.00

-18.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.28 €1.14

-35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$2.07 €1.84

-28.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$2.35 €2.09

-81.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 ¥164

$44.18 €39.30

-44.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$3.99 €3.55

-67.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.09 €0.97

-73.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ¥29.85

$16.64 €14.81

-73.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$2.28 €2.03

-42.11%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

-41.87%

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

$17.4K ¥116.1K

$39.3K €35.0K

-55.83%

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

$47.19 ¥316

$167 €149

-71.83%

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

$9.21 ¥61.6

$18.80 €16.72

-51.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.45 ¥83.2

$33.09 €29.43

-62.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 ¥179

$46.01 €40.93

-41.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 ¥76.2

$19.19 €17.07

-40.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.62

$9.84 €8.75

-38.21%

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

$379 ¥2,534

$677 €602

-44.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥99.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-12.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.28 ¥169

$101 €90.1

-75.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.77 ¥186

$45.76 €40.70

-39.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 ¥381

$100.0 €88.9

-43.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥352

$123 €109

-57.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ¥3,103

$1,614 €1,436

-71.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ¥1,659

$1,197 €1,065

-79.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 ¥5,436

$2,862 €2,545

-71.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,565

$1,990 €1,770

-73.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,762 ¥25.2K

$7,577 €6,740

-50.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 ¥12.7K

$4,307 €3,831

-55.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,252 ¥8,368

$1,588 €1,412

-21.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.85

-12.21%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$248 33.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 382% $949

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$196 26.5%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 37.3% $73

Eating Out

Chengdu

$87 11.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 179% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 127% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.3%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 219% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.3%

Lisbon

$66 3% 68.7% $27

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 117% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chengdu versus $1,614 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 27% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $269 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

7 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

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 19, 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 19, 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

Chengdu Lisbon 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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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

Chengdu vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $741 in Chengdu, $2,223 in Lisbon – roughly 200% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Chengdu and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, 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 $22.00 in Chengdu and $61.0 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 $741 in Chengdu and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 200%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $741 in Chengdu to $2,223 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Chengdu. 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.