Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bengbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $666 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
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Bengbu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bengbu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $666 in Bengbu.

Lisbon $2,223
Bengbu $666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,043 in Bengbu.

Lisbon $3,271
Bengbu $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,420 in Bengbu.

Lisbon $4,319
Bengbu $1,420

Living in Lisbon is roughly 234% more expensive than in Bengbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Bengbu is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.31 ¥15.42

614.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$10.50 ¥70.2

483.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.76 ¥31.80

136.76%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.15 ¥21.08

-2.86%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.47 ¥3.16

380.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.25 ¥1.66

592.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.45 ¥9.67

133.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.21 ¥14.74

53.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.18 ¥14.56

-48.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.02 ¥6.82

82.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.72 ¥4.85

112.50%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.32 ¥8.82

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.42 ¥69.7

22.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.04 ¥20.30

159.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.00 ¥60.2

88.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.50 ¥10.03

51.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.07 ¥7.13

63.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.52 ¥10.16

21.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$0.78 ¥5.22

229.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.62 ¥4.16

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.63 ¥4.20

220.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.76 ¥5.09

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.43 ¥2.90

90.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$2.93 ¥19.56

123.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.10 ¥40.82

-7.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.76 ¥5.11

68.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.47 ¥9.86

40.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.31 ¥2.09

658.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$20.48 ¥137

115.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.61 ¥10.76

147.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.38 ¥2.57

186.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$9.15 ¥61.2

81.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.29 ¥8.66

76.74%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

75.37%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

136.17%

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

$167 €149

$36.70 ¥245

356.38%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$5.39 ¥36.01

248.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$7.07 ¥47.24

368.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$41.28 ¥276

11.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$16.25 ¥109

18.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.99 ¥40.07

64.27%

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

$677 €602

$417 ¥2,788

62.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$22.1K ¥147.9K

-23.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$43.41 ¥290

133.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$33.77 ¥226

35.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$66.1 ¥442

51.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$88.5 ¥592

38.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$294 ¥1,969

448.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$181 ¥1,209

561.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$586 ¥3,920

388.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$349 ¥2,334

470.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,507 ¥23.4K

116.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,194 ¥14.7K

96.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$668 ¥4,468

137.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.42

12.57%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Bengbu

$181 27.2% 84.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Bengbu

$168 25.2% 37.7% $102

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Bengbu

$85 12.8% 64.9% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Bengbu

$49 7.4% 77.6% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bengbu

$104 15.7% 37.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Bengbu

$53 8% 18.9% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Bengbu

$25 3.8% 59.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $294 in Bengbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 138% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $11.00 in Bengbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $168 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

16:41 4:41 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,296,408

💱 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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Bengbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bengbu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 234% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 138% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $294 in Bengbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $417 in Bengbu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $666 in Bengbu versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bengbu 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, Lisbon and Bengbu 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 Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 234% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.