Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua-lien and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hua-lien
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,076
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Hua-lien $1,076
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,820 in Hua-lien versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Hua-lien $1,820
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in Hua-lien versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Hua-lien $2,563
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Hua-lien costs roughly 52% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hua-lien is 20% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.99 NT$129
$16.50 €14.67
-75.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.74 NT$932
$61.3 €54.5
-53.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.28 NT$139
$11.27 €10.03
-62.02%
Cappuccino
$2.78 NT$90.3
$3.06 €2.72
-9.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 NT$30.01
$2.26 €2.01
-58.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 NT$18.18
$1.73 €1.54
-67.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.33 NT$43.12
$3.39 €3.02
-60.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 NT$67.6
$3.40 €3.02
-38.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.93 NT$95.1
$1.12 €1.00
161.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.76 NT$56.9
$1.86 €1.65
-5.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.50 NT$146
$1.53 €1.36
194.12%
Eggs
$1.98 NT$64.1
$3.96 €3.53
-50.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.63 NT$636
$12.76 €11.35
53.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.20 NT$201
$7.90 €7.02
-21.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.54 NT$828
$16.97 €15.09
50.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 NT$86.3
$2.27 €2.02
17.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.50 NT$80.9
$1.75 €1.55
42.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.21 NT$104
$1.85 €1.64
73.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.18 NT$103
$2.57 €2.28
23.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.43 NT$78.7
$1.86 €1.65
30.65%
Onion (1kg)
$2.30 NT$74.6
$2.02 €1.80
13.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.02 NT$65.5
$1.44 €1.28
40.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 NT$31.72
$0.82 €0.73
19.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.88 NT$126
$6.56 €5.83
-40.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.63 NT$410
$5.62 €5.00
124.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 NT$62.1
$1.28 €1.14
49.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 NT$76.1
$2.07 €1.84
13.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 NT$19.64
$2.35 €2.09
-74.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.66 NT$1,189
$44.18 €39.30
-17.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 NT$99.8
$3.99 €3.55
-22.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 NT$9.91
$1.09 €0.97
-71.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.36 NT$336
$16.64 €14.81
-37.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 NT$28.98
$2.28 €2.03
-60.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K NT$1.1M
$33.7K €30.0K
0.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K NT$862.6K
$39.3K €35.0K
-32.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 NT$3,332
$167 €149
-38.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.48 NT$632
$18.80 €16.72
3.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.54 NT$407
$33.09 €29.43
-62.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.61 NT$1,187
$46.01 €40.93
-20.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.19 €17.07
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.12 NT$328
$9.84 €8.75
2.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$767 NT$24.9K
$677 €602
13.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.4K NT$533.1K
$16.9K €15.1K
-2.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.1 NT$1,850
$101 €90.1
-43.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.07 NT$1,170
$45.76 €40.70
-21.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.5 NT$2,576
$100.0 €88.9
-20.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 NT$3,455
$123 €109
-13.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$404 NT$13.1K
$1,614 €1,436
-74.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$253 NT$8,204
$1,197 €1,065
-78.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 NT$31.9K
$2,862 €2,545
-65.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$740 NT$24.0K
$1,990 €1,770
-62.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,755 NT$251.5K
$7,577 €6,740
2.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,989 NT$161.8K
$4,307 €3,831
15.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hua-lien
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,940 NT$95.3K
$1,588 €1,412
85.14%
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 Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Hua-lien
$368
Lisbon
$269 26.7% $98
Accommodation & Living
Hua-lien
$253
Lisbon
$1.2K 373% $944
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hua-lien
$135
Lisbon
$219 62.8% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Hua-lien
$126
Lisbon
$166 32.5% $41
Eating Out
Hua-lien
$95
Lisbon
$242 155% $147
Sport & Entertainment
Hua-lien
$57
Lisbon
$66 15.5% $8.8
Getting Around
Hua-lien
$44
Lisbon
$63 44.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Hua-lien and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 85% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Hua-lien vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇼 Hua-lien
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
07:54 7:54 AM
00:54 12:54 AM
7 h behind Hua-lien
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
105,034
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hua-lien Lisbon 11,360 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hua-lien
  • 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
Hua-lien vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hua-lien or Lisbon?
Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 107% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Hua-lien or in Lisbon?
Average pay runs 85% higher in Hua-lien, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Hua-lien compared to Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Hua-lien versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Hua-lien or in Lisbon?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 36% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How do dining costs compare in Hua-lien and in Lisbon?
Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Hua-lien or in Lisbon?
At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Hua-lien or Lisbon?
Both work as nomad bases, but Hua-lien delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,076 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hua-lien hard to pass up.
How safe is Hua-lien compared to Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Hua-lien 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Hua-lien vs other spots: cost of living compared

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