Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hsinchu and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Hsinchu: $1,140 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Hsinchu
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Hsinchu Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Hsinchu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,140

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,140 per month in Hsinchu vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hsinchu $1,140
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Hsinchu vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hsinchu $1,917
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,693 per month in Hsinchu vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Hsinchu $2,693
Lisbon $4,341

Hsinchu is about 48% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hsinchu sits 16% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 NT$119

$16.65 €14.96

-77.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.83 NT$902

$61.7 €55.5

-54.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 NT$154

$11.36 €10.20

-58.19%

Cappuccino

$2.99 NT$96.8

$2.97 €2.67

0.67%

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

$0.90 NT$29.21

$2.29 €2.06

-60.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 NT$21.25

$1.74 €1.56

-62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 NT$61.3

$3.40 €3.06

-44.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NT$72.7

$3.31 €2.97

-32.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.75 NT$89.2

$1.16 €1.04

137.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 NT$52.6

$1.91 €1.72

-15.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 NT$141

$1.51 €1.36

188.08%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.6

$4.02 €3.61

-31.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$35.37 NT$1,147

$12.94 €11.62

173.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 NT$224

$7.77 €6.99

-10.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.54 NT$666

$17.76 €15.96

15.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 NT$84.2

$2.30 €2.07

13.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$1.73 €1.56

40.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 NT$105

$1.86 €1.67

74.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 NT$100

$2.59 €2.33

19.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 NT$76.4

$1.82 €1.64

29.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 NT$75.0

$1.97 €1.77

17.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 NT$63.6

$1.47 €1.32

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$44.08

$0.72 €0.65

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 NT$126

$6.58 €5.92

-40.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 NT$392

$5.61 €5.04

115.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 NT$61.1

$1.36 €1.22

38.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.2

$2.14 €1.92

7.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 NT$16.67

$2.33 €2.10

-78.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.54 NT$1,250

$44.68 €40.14

-13.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 NT$97.1

$3.85 €3.46

-22.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 NT$9.58

$1.07 €0.96

-71.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.82 NT$319

$16.46 €14.79

-40.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.80

$2.20 €1.98

-54.09%

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

$34.7K NT$1.1M

$34.2K €30.7K

1.56%

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

$23.6K NT$764.8K

$38.7K €34.8K

-39.09%

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

$102 NT$3,297

$161 €145

-36.92%

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

$19.11 NT$620

$18.41 €16.54

3.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 NT$670

$32.74 €29.41

-36.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 NT$1,654

$44.55 €40.03

14.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$10.28 NT$333

$9.60 €8.62

7.08%

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

$735 NT$23.8K

$668 €600

10.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K NT$528.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

-7.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 NT$1,819

$102 €91.7

-45.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 NT$1,133

$44.46 €39.95

-21.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 NT$2,454

$98.5 €88.5

-23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,334

$124 €111

-16.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 NT$13.6K

$1,608 €1,445

-73.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 NT$8,331

$1,190 €1,069

-78.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 NT$35.7K

$2,812 €2,527

-60.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 NT$24.5K

$2,013 €1,809

-62.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,930 NT$224.7K

$7,839 €7,043

-11.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,621 NT$149.8K

$4,576 €4,111

0.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,398 NT$77.8K

$1,575 €1,415

52.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

3.85

-44.68%

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

Last update for Hsinchu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hsinchu

$405 35.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 32.7% $132

Accommodation & Living

Hsinchu

$257 22.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 363% $933

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hsinchu

$141 12.4%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 50.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Hsinchu

$121 10.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 36.8% $45

Eating Out

Hsinchu

$100 8.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 144% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Hsinchu

$72 6.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 11% $7.9

Getting Around

Hsinchu

$45 4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 40.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Hsinchu 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 52% higher in Hsinchu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Hsinchu versus $62 in Lisbon. Groceries tell a different story – $405 in Hsinchu vs $272 in Lisbon – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hsinchu

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

11:56 11:56 AM

8 h behind Hsinchu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

453,120

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.09 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

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

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hsinchu Lisbon 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Hsinchu
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

Hsinchu vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 94% more than Hsinchu, 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 $1,711 per month in Hsinchu 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 Hsinchu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Hsinchu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $735 per month in Hsinchu and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,140 in Hsinchu and $2,210 in Lisbon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,140 in Hsinchu to $2,210 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.