Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,185 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Beijing (Pekin) $1,185

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $1,917 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Beijing (Pekin) $1,917

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $2,648 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Beijing (Pekin) $2,648

Lisbon costs about 86% more than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Beijing (Pekin) is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$4.53 ¥30.31

276.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$30.16 ¥202

106.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.36 ¥35.83

105.60%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.57 ¥23.84

-12.61%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.51 ¥3.39

345.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.28 ¥1.89

521.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.19 ¥7.94

187.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.71 ¥11.43

118.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.74 ¥11.66

-32.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.77 ¥11.82

5.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.29 ¥8.61

19.38%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.95 ¥13.01

108.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$14.29 ¥95.5

-9.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.31 ¥22.13

138.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.11 ¥74.3

58.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.12 ¥14.18

6.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.73 ¥11.56

1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.09 ¥13.98

-9.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.54 ¥10.30

66.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.69 ¥4.64

168.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.91 ¥6.09

116.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.75 ¥5.04

93.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.61 ¥4.06

26.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.27 ¥28.52

57.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$13.90 ¥93.0

-59.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.02 ¥6.80

34.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.81 ¥12.09

16.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.69 ¥4.65

236.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$34.82 ¥233

27.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.90 ¥12.73

107.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.35 ¥2.36

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.28 ¥48.68

135.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.33 ¥8.87

64.66%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

72.06%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$18.0K ¥120.6K

112.14%

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

$164 €146

$59.1 ¥395

177.36%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$8.77 ¥58.7

110.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$14.22 ¥95.1

131.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.06 ¥275

11.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$24.89 ¥166

-24.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$7.44 ¥49.74

31.05%

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

$684 €608

$654 ¥4,375

4.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.0K ¥160.5K

-26.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$71.2 ¥476

45.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.02 ¥268

15.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$88.2 ¥590

13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$127 ¥846

-1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$945 ¥6,317

68.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$523 ¥3,499

123.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,362 ¥15.8K

20.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,122 ¥7,500

77.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$12.3K ¥82.0K

-36.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$6,446 ¥43.1K

-31.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-6.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.12

23.40%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2% 55.2% $646

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3% 16.3% $44

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 56.5% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 61.9% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4% 12.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 14.4% $9.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 34.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $945 in Beijing (Pekin). 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 7% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $229 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

21,893,095 Capital

💱 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 Beijing (Pekin) 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $1,778 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 86%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.