Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $914 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $914 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $914
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,442 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $1,971 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971
Lisbon $4,341

Guangzhou (Canton) is about 59% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Guangzhou (Canton) sits 33% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.19

$16.65 €14.96

-81.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.73 ¥198

$61.7 €55.5

-51.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.72

$11.36 €10.20

-52.82%

Cappuccino

$3.19 ¥21.24

$2.97 €2.67

7.41%

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

$0.54 ¥3.60

$2.29 €2.06

-76.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.43

$1.74 €1.56

-79.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$3.40 €3.06

-61.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.33

$3.31 €2.97

-16.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.48

$1.16 €1.04

61.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 ¥12.79

$1.91 €1.72

0.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.31

$1.51 €1.36

-27.15%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$4.02 €3.61

-61.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.83 ¥112

$12.94 €11.62

30.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 ¥34.51

$7.77 €6.99

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 ¥80.0

$17.76 €15.96

-32.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ¥14.79

$2.30 €2.07

-3.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.73 €1.56

-27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.66

$1.86 €1.67

-22.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.45

$2.59 €2.33

-33.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.31

$1.82 €1.64

-47.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$1.97 €1.77

-38.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.47 €1.32

-42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.75

$0.72 €0.65

-1.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 ¥26.09

$6.58 €5.92

-40.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 ¥72.4

$5.61 €5.04

93.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.81

$1.36 €1.22

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.84

$2.14 €1.92

-9.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$2.33 €2.10

-81.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.29 ¥122

$44.68 €40.14

-59.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 ¥11.78

$3.85 €3.46

-54.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ¥2.66

$1.07 €0.96

-62.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 ¥48.09

$16.46 €14.79

-56.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.12

$2.20 €1.98

-37.73%

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

$19.7K ¥131.5K

$34.2K €30.7K

-42.31%

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

$17.8K ¥118.9K

$38.7K €34.8K

-53.95%

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

$60.4 ¥402

$161 €145

-62.55%

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

$16.16 ¥108

$18.41 €16.54

-12.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.47 ¥96.5

$32.74 €29.41

-55.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.9 ¥472

$44.55 €40.03

59.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.27 ¥81.8

$19.10 €17.16

-35.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 ¥43.50

$9.60 €8.62

-31.98%

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

$1,612 ¥10.7K

$668 €600

141.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥164.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

40.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.97 ¥326

$102 €91.7

-52.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.73 ¥271

$44.46 €39.95

-8.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 ¥547

$98.5 €88.5

-16.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 ¥475

$124 €111

-42.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ¥3,391

$1,608 €1,445

-68.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 ¥1,797

$1,190 €1,069

-77.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 ¥8,158

$2,812 €2,527

-56.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ¥3,335

$2,013 €1,809

-75.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 ¥55.1K

$7,839 €7,043

5.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,705 ¥24.7K

$4,576 €4,111

-19.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,269 ¥8,457

$1,575 €1,415

-19.44%

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 Guangzhou (Canton): 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

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 341% $920

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 12.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 51.7% $57

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 157% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 133% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 24% $20

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 165% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $509 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $1,608 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 24% 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 $30 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $272 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

17:42 5:42 PM

8 h behind Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Guangzhou (Canton) Lisbon 10,890 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Guangzhou (Canton)
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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

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), $2,210 in Lisbon – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,371 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $2,210 in Lisbon. That’s a gap of about 142%.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $914, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Guangzhou (Canton) 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 $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Guangzhou (Canton). 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.