Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lanzhou and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $719 in Lanzhou versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Lanzhou $719
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,143 in Lanzhou versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Lanzhou $1,143
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,567 in Lanzhou versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Lanzhou $1,567
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Lanzhou costs roughly 68% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lanzhou is 47% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ¥13.80

$16.50 €14.67

-87.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.34 ¥189

$61.3 €54.5

-53.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 ¥39.15

$11.27 €10.03

-48.00%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥20.89

$3.06 €2.72

1.96%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$2.26 €2.01

-78.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.73 €1.54

-83.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$3.39 €3.02

-67.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.40 €3.02

-40.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$1.12 €1.00

58.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.86 €1.65

-13.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.53 €1.36

-37.25%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.72

$3.96 €3.53

-59.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 ¥88.4

$12.76 €11.35

3.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.92

$7.90 €7.02

-56.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ¥81.0

$16.97 €15.09

-28.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$2.27 €2.02

-20.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$1.75 €1.55

-26.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$1.85 €1.64

-19.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$2.57 €2.28

-51.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.86 €1.65

-62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.02 €1.80

-53.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.44 €1.28

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$0.82 €0.73

-32.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.19

$6.56 €5.83

-42.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 ¥77.0

$5.62 €5.00

104.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.28 €1.14

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$2.07 €1.84

-26.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$2.35 €2.09

-87.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$44.18 €39.30

-59.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$3.99 €3.55

-62.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$1.09 €0.97

-70.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.12 ¥47.58

$16.64 €14.81

-57.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.73

$2.28 €2.03

-35.96%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$33.7K €30.0K

-47.94%

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

$15.0K ¥100.4K

$39.3K €35.0K

-61.80%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$167 €149

-65.37%

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

$8.79 ¥58.8

$18.80 €16.72

-53.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$33.09 €29.43

-66.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.33 ¥283

$46.01 €40.93

-8.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$19.19 €17.07

-23.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ¥42.06

$9.84 €8.75

-36.08%

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

$412 ¥2,756

$677 €602

-39.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$16.9K €15.1K

3.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.85 ¥287

$101 €90.1

-57.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 ¥224

$45.76 €40.70

-26.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥505

$100.0 €88.9

-24.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ¥495

$123 €109

-39.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$1,614 €1,436

-81.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,126

$1,197 €1,065

-85.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,186

$2,862 €2,545

-78.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,986

$1,990 €1,770

-85.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 ¥17.9K

$7,577 €6,740

-64.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 ¥10.8K

$4,307 €3,831

-62.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$953 ¥6,375

$1,588 €1,412

-39.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-22.08%

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

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lanzhou

$209 29.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 28.7% $60

Accommodation & Living

Lanzhou

$168 23.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 611% $1K

Clothing & Footwear

Lanzhou

$102 14.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 63.6% $65

Eating Out

Lanzhou

$84 11.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 188% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lanzhou

$78 10.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 181% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Lanzhou

$55 7.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 19.6% $11

Getting Around

Lanzhou

$22 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 182% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $295 in Lanzhou and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 67% 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: $28.00 in Lanzhou vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $269 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

05:26 5:26 AM

7 h behind Lanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,688,400

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

Lanzhou Lisbon 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lanzhou
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

Lanzhou vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lanzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 209% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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: $295 in Lanzhou versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $412 in Lanzhou versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Lanzhou versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanzhou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lanzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lanzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.