Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Benxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $692 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Benxi

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $692 in Benxi, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Benxi $692

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $991 in Benxi, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Benxi $991

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,291 in Benxi, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Benxi $1,291

Lisbon costs about 219% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Benxi is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$3.04 ¥20.19

447.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$22.33 ¥148

176.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.31 ¥35.25

113.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.40 ¥15.98

23.75%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.51 ¥3.39

349.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.29 ¥1.89

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$0.73 ¥4.84

365.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.76 ¥11.69

88.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.85 ¥12.28

-37.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.22 ¥8.08

56.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.84 ¥5.60

79.76%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.60 ¥10.65

151.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.00 ¥66.4

29.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$2.85 ¥18.92

172.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$8.92 ¥59.3

99.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.62 ¥10.74

41.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.38 ¥9.17

25.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.62 ¥10.76

14.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.37 ¥9.12

89.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.58 ¥3.88

213.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.85 ¥12.26

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.61 ¥4.09

140.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.69 ¥4.57

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$2.97 ¥19.75

121.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$8.24 ¥54.7

-31.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.58 ¥3.85

134.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.25 ¥8.30

71.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.31 ¥2.09

651.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$12.21 ¥81.1

265.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$0.88 ¥5.84

337.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.29 ¥1.91

268.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$2.98 ¥19.82

452.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.13 ¥7.53

94.69%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$19.8K ¥131.7K

72.56%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$18.0K ¥119.4K

115.50%

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

$161 €144

$54.4 ¥361

196.58%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$6.70 ¥44.51

174.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$10.41 ¥69.2

214.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$66.3 ¥441

-32.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$8.31 ¥55.2

129.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.03 ¥40.08

59.20%

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

$668 €598

$449 ¥2,985

48.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$8,894 ¥59.1K

98.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$29.74 ¥198

243.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$32.77 ¥218

35.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$60.2 ¥400

63.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$52.4 ¥348

136.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$137 ¥907

1078.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$189 ¥1,259

528.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$258 ¥1,711

992.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$153 ¥1,015

1217.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,371 ¥22.4K

132.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,941 ¥12.9K

135.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$447 ¥2,971

252.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-3.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Benxi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Benxi

$189 27.4% 84.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Benxi

$179 25.9% 34.2% $93

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Benxi

$79 11.5% 67.3% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Benxi

$71 10.3% 66.3% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Benxi

$79 11.4% 52.5% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Benxi

$78 11.3% 23% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Benxi

$16 2.3% 75% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $137 in Benxi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $22 in Benxi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $179 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Benxi

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

809,655

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Benxi 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Benxi

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

Lisbon vs Benxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 219% more than Benxi, 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 $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,039 in Benxi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benxi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $449 in Benxi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Benxi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.