Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kunshan and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunshan: $714 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kunshan
🇨🇳 China
$714
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Kunshan vs $2,223 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Kunshan $714
  • Lisbon $2,223

A couple spends around $1,137 per month in Kunshan vs $3,271 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Kunshan $1,137
  • Lisbon $3,271

A family of three spends $1,560 per month in Kunshan vs $4,319 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Kunshan $1,560
  • Lisbon $4,319

Kunshan is about 68% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kunshan sits 47% below the global median, while Lisbon is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 ¥18.46
$16.50 €14.67
-83.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.65 ¥145
$61.3 €54.5
-64.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.99 ¥33.35
$11.27 €10.03
-55.72%
Cappuccino
$3.08 ¥20.60
$3.06 €2.72
0.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ¥3.10
$2.26 €2.01
-79.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.80
$1.73 €1.54
-84.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.92 ¥6.18
$3.39 €3.02
-72.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ¥14.32
$3.40 €3.02
-37.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 ¥12.44
$1.12 €1.00
66.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.59 ¥10.63
$1.86 €1.65
-14.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.94 ¥6.29
$1.53 €1.36
-38.56%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.65
$3.96 €3.53
-59.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 ¥86.5
$12.76 €11.35
1.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.14 ¥21.02
$7.90 €7.02
-60.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.18 ¥68.1
$16.97 €15.09
-40.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.81 ¥12.09
$2.27 €2.02
-20.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 ¥8.38
$1.75 €1.55
-28.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 ¥9.99
$1.85 €1.64
-19.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 ¥7.64
$2.57 €2.28
-55.64%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 ¥4.89
$1.86 €1.65
-60.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.97 ¥6.50
$2.02 €1.80
-51.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 ¥3.79
$1.44 €1.28
-60.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ¥3.44
$0.82 €0.73
-37.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.09 ¥20.68
$6.56 €5.83
-52.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.70 ¥71.5
$5.62 €5.00
90.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥4.93
$1.28 €1.14
-42.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ¥11.00
$2.07 €1.84
-20.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.96
$2.35 €2.09
-87.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.02 ¥114
$44.18 €39.30
-61.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.40 ¥9.37
$3.99 €3.55
-64.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ¥2.20
$1.09 €0.97
-69.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.49 ¥43.38
$16.64 €14.81
-61.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 ¥7.58
$2.28 €2.03
-50.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥130.4K
$33.7K €30.0K
-42.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.9K ¥113.2K
$39.3K €35.0K
-56.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.06 ¥301
$167 €149
-73.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.74 ¥65.1
$18.80 €16.72
-48.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.75 ¥78.5
$33.09 €29.43
-64.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.03 ¥281
$46.01 €40.93
-8.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.90 ¥92.9
$19.19 €17.07
-27.57%
Cinema Ticket
$5.99 ¥40.04
$9.84 €8.75
-39.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$337 ¥2,252
$677 €602
-50.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K ¥112.9K
$16.9K €15.1K
-0.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.07 ¥288
$101 €90.1
-57.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.24 ¥202
$45.76 €40.70
-33.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.7 ¥473
$100.0 €88.9
-29.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.3 ¥477
$123 €109
-41.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$274 ¥1,834
$1,614 €1,436
-83.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$190 ¥1,271
$1,197 €1,065
-84.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$591 ¥3,948
$2,862 €2,545
-79.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$367 ¥2,455
$1,990 €1,770
-81.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,017 ¥20.2K
$7,577 €6,740
-60.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,058 ¥13.8K
$4,307 €3,831
-52.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kunshan
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,588 €1,412
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.89
3.85
1.04%

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

Last update for Kunshan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kunshan
$199
Lisbon
$269 35.4% $70
Accommodation & Living
Kunshan
$190
Lisbon
$1.2K 530% $1K
Clothing & Footwear
Kunshan
$97
Lisbon
$166 71.7% $69
Eating Out
Kunshan
$86
Lisbon
$242 182% $156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kunshan
$67
Lisbon
$219 230% $153
Sport & Entertainment
Kunshan
$54
Lisbon
$66 21.6% $12
Getting Around
Kunshan
$21
Lisbon
$63 197% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Kunshan versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Kunshan versus $61.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $269 – making Kunshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Kunshan
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
12:26 12:26 PM
05:26 5:26 AM
7 h behind Kunshan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,092,496
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kunshan Lisbon 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kunshan
  • 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
Kunshan vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisbon cheaper than Kunshan?
Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 212%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,070 per month in Kunshan and $3,335 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kunshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Kunshan or in Lisbon?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Kunshan and $61.0 in Lisbon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Kunshan and in Lisbon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $714 in Kunshan and $2,223 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 212%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Kunshan or in Lisbon?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kunshan, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Kunshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Kunshan or Lisbon more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kunshan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Kunshan or Lisbon?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kunshan. 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.

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