Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harbin and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Harbin: $1,166 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
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Harbin Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,166

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,166 per month in Harbin vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Harbin $1,166
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $1,617 per month in Harbin vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Harbin $1,617
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $2,069 per month in Harbin vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Harbin $2,069
Lisbon $4,346

Harbin is about 47% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Harbin sits 14% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.30 ¥15.36

$17.04 €15.15

-86.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.57 ¥151

$62.3 €55.4

-63.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 ¥36.87

$11.02 €9.80

-50.00%

Cappuccino

$2.94 ¥19.69

$3.12 €2.78

-5.77%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$2.27 €2.02

-79.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$1.74 €1.55

-83.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$3.42 €3.04

-75.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.18

$3.74 €3.33

-55.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ¥13.32

$1.17 €1.04

70.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.41

$1.86 €1.66

8.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.49

$1.54 €1.37

-37.01%

Eggs

$1.38 ¥9.26

$4.06 €3.61

-66.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 ¥61.8

$12.91 €11.49

-28.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.56 ¥17.13

$7.90 €7.03

-67.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 ¥79.2

$17.64 €15.69

-32.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$2.26 €2.01

-28.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.90

$1.75 €1.55

-24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$1.89 €1.68

-35.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.37

$2.56 €2.27

-62.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$1.85 €1.64

-70.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.18

$1.97 €1.75

-22.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.45 €1.29

-67.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$0.77 €0.69

2.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 ¥17.14

$6.71 €5.97

-61.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.89 ¥120

$5.67 €5.04

215.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.91

$1.37 €1.22

-57.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$2.11 €1.88

-26.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$2.32 €2.07

-86.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.14 ¥74.5

$44.43 €39.52

-74.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$3.95 €3.51

-66.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.05 €0.93

-72.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ¥24.43

$17.15 €15.26

-78.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$2.19 €1.95

-41.10%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$33.8K €30.0K

-42.60%

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

$15.6K ¥104.2K

$38.3K €34.0K

-59.26%

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

$75.3 ¥503

$164 €146

-54.05%

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

$14.46 ¥96.7

$18.48 €16.43

-21.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.39 ¥82.9

$32.96 €29.32

-62.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.0 ¥562

$45.87 €40.80

83.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.73 ¥199

$18.68 €16.61

59.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.97 ¥39.90

$9.75 €8.67

-38.77%

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

$300 ¥2,004

$684 €608

-56.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K ¥69.3K

$17.6K €15.7K

-41.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.31 ¥203

$104 €92.3

-70.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.23 ¥202

$46.20 €41.09

-34.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ¥483

$99.7 €88.7

-27.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$302 ¥2,020

$125 €111

142.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥2,186

$1,589 €1,414

-79.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 ¥3,121

$1,169 €1,040

-60.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 ¥8,941

$2,851 €2,536

-53.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 ¥3,492

$1,993 €1,773

-73.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,220 ¥21.5K

$7,793 €6,932

-58.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 ¥9,074

$4,418 €3,930

-69.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ¥3,949

$1,600 €1,423

-63.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

3.85

1.82%

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

Last update for Harbin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harbin

$467 40.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 150% $702

Groceries & Markets

Harbin

$209 17.9%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 30.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Harbin

$196 16.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 13.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harbin

$102 8.8%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 111% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Harbin

$96 8.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 31.9% $31

Eating Out

Harbin

$81 6.9%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 206% $167

Getting Around

Harbin

$15 1.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 315% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $327 in Harbin versus $1,589 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 171% 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 $23.00 in Harbin versus $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $273 – making Harbin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Harbin

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

7 h behind Harbin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,009,854

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

Harbin Lisbon 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Harbin
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

Harbin vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 89% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,748 per month in Harbin and $3,302 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Harbin, 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 $23.00 in Harbin and $62.0 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 $1,166 in Harbin and $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 89%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Harbin, where all-in costs run around $1,166, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Harbin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Harbin costs $1,166 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Harbin. 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.