Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Beihai

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 Beihai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $744 in Beihai, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Beihai $744

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,167 in Beihai, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Beihai $1,167

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,590 in Beihai, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Beihai $1,590

Lisbon costs about 199% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Beihai is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.40 ¥22.74

385.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$19.56 ¥131

213.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$5.58 ¥37.30

101.97%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.43 ¥16.28

25.93%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.46 ¥3.09

391.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.30 ¥1.99

476.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.22 ¥8.13

177.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.29 ¥15.34

48.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.90 ¥12.68

-41.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.70 ¥11.36

9.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.10 ¥7.33

39.09%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.87 ¥12.53

111.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$13.95 ¥93.3

-8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$2.92 ¥19.54

170.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.58 ¥70.8

60.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.10 ¥14.02

8.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.48 ¥9.91

18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.52 ¥10.19

21.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.27 ¥8.47

102.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.74 ¥4.92

151.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.97 ¥6.45

108.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.67 ¥4.47

114.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.50 ¥3.33

64.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.39 ¥22.70

93.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$12.05 ¥80.6

-53.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.74 ¥4.95

72.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.66 ¥11.10

24.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.30 ¥2.02

683.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$17.17 ¥115

157.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.56 ¥10.42

155.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.31 ¥2.08

251.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$6.21 ¥41.52

167.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.39 ¥9.31

64.03%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$18.2K ¥121.6K

85.18%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$18.2K ¥121.9K

115.48%

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

$167 €149

$61.5 ¥411

172.21%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$9.42 ¥63.0

99.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$12.09 ¥80.8

173.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$40.99 ¥274

12.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$14.01 ¥93.7

36.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.71 ¥38.19

72.33%

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

$677 €602

$458 ¥3,064

47.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$18.3K ¥122.5K

-7.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$48.58 ¥325

108.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$38.03 ¥254

20.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$79.9 ¥534

25.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$79.0 ¥528

55.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$279 ¥1,862

479.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$178 ¥1,190

572.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$718 ¥4,803

298.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$332 ¥2,221

499.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,665 ¥24.5K

106.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,221 ¥14.8K

93.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

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 11, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Beihai

$178 23.9% 85.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Beihai

$212 28.5% 21.4% $58

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Beihai

$87 11.7% 64.1% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Beihai

$83 11.2% 62.1% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Beihai

$110 14.9% 33.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Beihai

$52 7% 20.2% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Beihai

$22 2.9% 65.9% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $279 in Beihai. 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 $61.0 in Lisbon versus $20.00 in Beihai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $212 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,617,500

💱 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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Lisbon Beihai 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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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

Lisbon vs Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 199% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,116 in Beihai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 27% 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 $61.0 in Lisbon and $20.00 in Beihai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beihai costs $744 versus $2,223 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Beihai. 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.