Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Baotou

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
Learn more

Baotou Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Baotou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Baotou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $768 in Baotou, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Baotou $768

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $1,248 in Baotou, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Baotou $1,248

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $1,728 in Baotou, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Baotou $1,728

Lisbon costs about 187% more than Baotou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Baotou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$5.26 ¥35.18

223.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.87 ¥153

172.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$9.50 ¥63.5

16.00%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.78 ¥18.56

12.23%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.47 ¥3.17

382.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.31 ¥2.07

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.13 ¥7.59

202.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.91 ¥12.77

95.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.87 ¥12.49

-37.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.59 ¥10.65

16.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.65 ¥4.35

136.92%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.48 ¥16.55

63.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.77 ¥92.1

-6.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.87 ¥25.86

104.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.26 ¥82.0

43.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.90 ¥12.70

18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.33 ¥8.87

31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.50 ¥10.01

26.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.27 ¥8.52

101.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.75 ¥5.01

146.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.01 ¥6.76

95.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.58 ¥3.88

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.59 ¥3.93

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.28 ¥28.59

56.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.83 ¥72.4

-47.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.86 ¥5.77

59.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.55 ¥10.34

36.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.31 ¥2.08

648.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$16.41 ¥110

170.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.02 ¥6.85

287.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.35 ¥2.35

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.09 ¥47.38

141.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.16 ¥7.77

88.79%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$21.1K ¥141.2K

59.95%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$20.1K ¥134.6K

90.06%

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

$164 €146

$58.0 ¥388

182.24%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$8.15 ¥54.5

126.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$9.65 ¥64.5

241.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$47.39 ¥317

-3.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$15.49 ¥104

20.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.08 ¥34.00

91.93%

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

$684 €608

$371 ¥2,483

84.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

-10.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$42.80 ¥286

142.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$36.08 ¥241

28.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$73.6 ¥492

35.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$88.4 ¥591

41.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$263 ¥1,758

504.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$173 ¥1,154

577.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$605 ¥4,042

371.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$380 ¥2,543

424.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,121 ¥20.9K

149.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,040 ¥13.6K

116.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$666 ¥4,454

140.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.36

14.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Baotou

$173 22.5% 85.2% $996

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Baotou

$217 28.3% 20.5% $56

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Baotou

$117 15.2% 52.9% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Baotou

$76 9.9% 64.8% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Baotou

$108 14.1% 35.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Baotou

$58 7.5% 11.9% $7.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Baotou

$20 2.7% 67.5% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $263 in Baotou. 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 140% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $23.00 in Baotou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $217 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Baotou

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,709,378

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Baotou 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Baotou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon, $768 in Baotou – roughly 187% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $1,153 in Baotou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baotou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $23.00 in Baotou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $768 in Baotou to $2,202 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.

If budget matters most, go with Baotou. 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.