Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in Dongguan versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Dongguan $815
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,295 in Dongguan versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Dongguan $1,295
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,775 in Dongguan versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Dongguan $1,775
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Dongguan costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dongguan is 40% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.64

$17.04 €15.15

-84.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$62.3 €55.4

-63.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.75

$11.02 €9.80

-52.81%

Cappuccino

$2.61 ¥17.44

$3.12 €2.78

-16.35%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$2.27 €2.02

-78.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.74 €1.55

-82.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$3.42 €3.04

-74.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

$3.74 €3.33

-40.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$1.17 €1.04

35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.93

$1.86 €1.66

-12.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.54 €1.37

-37.01%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$4.06 €3.61

-60.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.14 ¥141

$12.91 €11.49

63.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ¥21.96

$7.90 €7.03

-58.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 ¥95.4

$17.64 €15.69

-19.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.03

$2.26 €2.01

-0.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$1.75 €1.55

-10.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.39

$1.89 €1.68

-2.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.98

$2.56 €2.27

-41.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$1.85 €1.64

-43.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.97 €1.75

-37.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$1.45 €1.29

-61.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.90

$0.77 €0.69

-24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ¥29.79

$6.71 €5.97

-33.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 ¥81.5

$5.67 €5.04

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.37 €1.22

-32.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$2.11 €1.88

-16.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$2.32 €2.07

-84.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

$44.43 €39.52

-49.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.86

$3.95 €3.51

-70.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$1.05 €0.93

-60.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 ¥29.68

$17.15 €15.26

-74.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$2.19 €1.95

-40.18%

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

$19.3K ¥129.0K

$33.8K €30.0K

-42.88%

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

$17.6K ¥117.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-53.90%

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

$63.1 ¥422

$164 €146

-61.51%

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

$9.11 ¥60.9

$18.48 €16.43

-50.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.96 ¥86.7

$32.96 €29.32

-60.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥345

$45.87 €40.80

12.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 ¥108

$18.68 €16.61

-13.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ¥50.3

$9.75 €8.67

-22.77%

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

$531 ¥3,550

$684 €608

-22.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.8K

$17.6K €15.7K

38.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.78 ¥313

$104 €92.3

-54.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.30 ¥269

$46.20 €41.09

-12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥485

$99.7 €88.7

-27.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.04 ¥261

$125 €111

-68.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,538

$1,589 €1,414

-76.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 ¥1,461

$1,169 €1,040

-81.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 ¥4,423

$2,851 €2,536

-76.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ¥2,884

$1,993 €1,773

-78.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,650 ¥37.8K

$7,793 €6,932

-27.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,075 ¥20.6K

$4,418 €3,930

-30.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$856 ¥5,725

$1,600 €1,423

-46.48%

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 Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongguan

$248 30.4%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 10.1% $25

Accommodation & Living

Dongguan

$219 26.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 435% $951

Clothing & Footwear

Dongguan

$89 11%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 88.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongguan

$85 10.5%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 153% $130

Eating Out

Dongguan

$80 9.8%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 209% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Dongguan

$67 8.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 2% $1.3

Getting Around

Dongguan

$27 3.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 133% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $380 in Dongguan and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 87% 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: $23.00 in Dongguan vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $273 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

7 h behind Dongguan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,254,100

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 →

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Between locations

Dongguan Lisbon 10,940 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Dongguan
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

Dongguan vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 170% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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: $380 in Dongguan versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 99% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $531 in Dongguan versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Dongguan versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dongguan 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, Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.