Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lhasa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $738 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
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Lhasa Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Lhasa versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Lhasa $738
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Lhasa versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Lhasa $1,194
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,649 in Lhasa versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Lhasa $1,649
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Lhasa costs roughly 67% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lhasa is 46% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 ¥29.06

$16.65 €14.92

-73.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.36 ¥202

$61.7 €55.3

-50.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 ¥49.11

$11.36 €10.18

-35.04%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.67

$2.97 €2.66

-5.39%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$2.29 €2.05

-81.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$1.74 €1.56

-82.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.85

$3.40 €3.05

-56.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥13.84

$3.31 €2.97

-37.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$1.16 €1.04

55.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$1.91 €1.71

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.73

$1.51 €1.36

-33.11%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.54

$4.02 €3.60

-60.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 ¥46.59

$12.94 €11.59

-45.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ¥20.23

$7.77 €6.97

-60.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.2

$17.76 €15.92

-37.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.16

$2.30 €2.06

-20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.90

$1.73 €1.55

-22.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.41

$1.86 €1.66

-16.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$2.59 €2.32

-48.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$1.82 €1.63

-61.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.34

$1.97 €1.76

-51.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.47 €1.32

-59.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.72 €0.65

-18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.58

$6.58 €5.90

-41.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$5.61 €5.02

100.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.62

$1.36 €1.22

-38.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.71

$2.14 €1.91

-24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.06

$2.33 €2.09

-86.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.27 ¥122

$44.68 €40.04

-59.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$3.85 €3.45

-61.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.16

$1.07 €0.96

-70.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.33 ¥48.81

$16.46 €14.75

-55.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$2.20 €1.97

-40.45%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$34.2K €30.6K

-43.85%

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

$17.7K ¥117.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-54.34%

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

$56.5 ¥376

$161 €144

-64.95%

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

$8.54 ¥56.8

$18.41 €16.50

-53.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$32.74 €29.34

-65.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 ¥282

$44.55 €39.92

-4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.12 ¥101

$19.10 €17.11

-20.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 ¥42.15

$9.60 €8.60

-34.06%

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

$434 ¥2,885

$668 €598

-35.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ¥118.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

1.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 ¥284

$102 €91.4

-58.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 ¥222

$44.46 €39.85

-25.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥502

$98.5 €88.3

-23.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.4 ¥508

$124 €111

-38.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$287 ¥1,910

$1,608 €1,441

-82.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,256

$1,190 €1,066

-84.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ¥3,978

$2,812 €2,520

-78.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,482

$2,013 €1,804

-81.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,221 ¥21.4K

$7,839 €7,025

-58.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,933 ¥12.9K

$4,576 €4,100

-57.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,079 ¥13.8K

$1,575 €1,411

31.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.85

-12.73%

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

Last update for Lhasa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lhasa

$189 25.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 531% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lhasa

$188 25.5%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 44.9% $84

Eating Out

Lhasa

$105 14.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 131% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Lhasa

$103 13.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 61.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lhasa

$76 10.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 178% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Lhasa

$55 7.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 15.7% $8.6

Getting Around

Lhasa

$23 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 180% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $287 in Lhasa and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30 in Lhasa vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $272 per month, with Lhasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

04:24 4:24 AM

8 h behind Lhasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

867,891

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lhasa Lisbon 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lhasa
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

Lhasa vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $738 in Lhasa and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lhasa is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Lhasa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $287 in Lhasa versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lhasa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $738 in Lhasa versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lhasa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lhasa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lhasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.