Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Hefei versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Hefei $768
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Hefei versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Hefei $1,225
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,681 in Hefei versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Hefei $1,681
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Hefei costs roughly 65% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hefei is 43% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ¥17.28

$17.04 €15.15

-84.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.44 ¥150

$62.3 €55.4

-63.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$11.02 €9.80

-60.44%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ¥18.39

$3.12 €2.78

-11.86%

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

$0.49 ¥3.26

$2.27 €2.02

-78.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$1.74 €1.55

-84.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ¥7.09

$3.42 €3.04

-69.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥13.35

$3.74 €3.33

-46.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.17 €1.04

38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$1.86 €1.66

10.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.42

$1.54 €1.37

-47.40%

Eggs

$1.92 ¥12.84

$4.06 €3.61

-52.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$12.91 €11.49

9.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ¥32.76

$7.90 €7.03

-37.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.3

$17.64 €15.69

-34.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.45

$2.26 €2.01

2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.75 €1.55

-1.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.89 €1.68

-13.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.79

$2.56 €2.27

-37.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.37

$1.85 €1.64

-56.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$1.97 €1.75

-52.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$1.45 €1.29

-45.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.77 €0.69

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ¥20.59

$6.71 €5.97

-54.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 ¥81.3

$5.67 €5.04

114.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.37 €1.22

-32.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ¥13.28

$2.11 €1.88

-5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$2.32 €2.07

-86.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.22 ¥302

$44.43 €39.52

1.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$3.95 €3.51

-68.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$1.05 €0.93

-68.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ¥23.48

$17.15 €15.26

-79.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.91

$2.19 €1.95

-39.27%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$33.8K €30.0K

-43.68%

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

$16.9K ¥112.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-55.86%

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

$48.54 ¥325

$164 €146

-70.37%

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

$9.54 ¥63.8

$18.48 €16.43

-48.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$32.96 €29.32

-63.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.66 ¥105

$45.87 €40.80

-65.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 ¥102

$18.68 €16.61

-18.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.85

$9.75 €8.67

-34.26%

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

$236 ¥1,581

$684 €608

-65.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,656 ¥57.9K

$17.6K €15.7K

-50.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 ¥600

$104 €92.3

-13.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 ¥219

$46.20 €41.09

-29.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.7 ¥419

$99.7 €88.7

-37.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 ¥648

$125 €111

-22.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥1,609

$1,589 €1,414

-84.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,197

$1,169 €1,040

-84.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ¥3,558

$2,851 €2,536

-81.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥2,270

$1,993 €1,773

-82.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,573 ¥23.9K

$7,793 €6,932

-54.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,975 ¥13.2K

$4,418 €3,930

-55.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ¥6,763

$1,600 €1,423

-36.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.85

-18.18%

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

Last update for Hefei: 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

Hefei

$235 30.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 16.4% $39

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$179 23.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 553% $990

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$127 16.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 32.7% $42

Eating Out

Hefei

$79 10.3%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 213% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 207% $145

Getting Around

Hefei

$49 6.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 27.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$28 3.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 130% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Hefei and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 58% 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: $22.00 in Hefei vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $273 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

11:50 11:50 AM

7 h behind Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

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 24, 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 24, 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

Hefei Lisbon 10,410 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

Hefei vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 187% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 58% 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: $241 in Hefei versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $768 per month in Hefei versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 187% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Hefei versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hefei delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $768 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hefei hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Hefei 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 Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 187% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.