Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bortala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
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Bortala Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bortala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $758 in Bortala.

Lisbon $2,210
Bortala $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,168 in Bortala.

Lisbon $3,275
Bortala $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,577 in Bortala.

Lisbon $4,341
Bortala $1,577

Living in Lisbon is roughly 192% more expensive than in Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Bortala is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$2.99 ¥19.86

456.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$22.84 ¥152

170.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$4.86 ¥32.30

133.74%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.79 ¥18.52

6.45%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$0.48 ¥3.18

377.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.32 ¥2.10

443.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$1.11 ¥7.38

206.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.16 ¥14.33

53.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.87 ¥12.44

-37.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.59 ¥10.57

20.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.95 ¥6.29

58.95%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$1.60 ¥10.66

151.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$13.42 ¥89.2

-3.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$3.36 ¥22.35

131.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$11.29 ¥75.1

57.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.89 ¥12.53

21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.34 ¥8.88

29.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.51 ¥10.01

23.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.26 ¥8.35

105.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.75 ¥4.99

142.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.98 ¥6.49

101.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.59 ¥3.95

149.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.59 ¥3.89

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

$3.71 ¥24.68

77.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$11.52 ¥76.6

-51.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.88 ¥5.88

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.55 ¥10.30

38.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.28 ¥1.87

732.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

$15.99 ¥106

179.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$1.57 ¥10.46

145.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.32 ¥2.15

234.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

$7.15 ¥47.55

130.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.17 ¥7.80

88.03%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$19.4K ¥129.0K

76.21%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$15.2K ¥100.8K

155.26%

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

$161 €144

$57.1 ¥380

182.25%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$8.48 ¥56.4

117.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$11.13 ¥74.0

194.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$41.95 ¥279

6.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

$14.98 ¥99.6

27.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$6.53 ¥43.39

47.01%

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

$668 €596

$453 ¥3,013

47.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$19.3K ¥128.4K

-8.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$42.79 ¥284

138.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

$30.92 ¥206

43.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$75.6 ¥503

30.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$68.3 ¥454

81.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$291 ¥1,932

453.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$214 ¥1,420

457.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$582 ¥3,870

383.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$343 ¥2,280

486.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

$3,687 ¥24.5K

112.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

$1,825 ¥12.1K

150.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

$625 ¥4,156

151.92%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bortala

$214 28.2% 82.1% $977

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bortala

$210 27.7% 23% $63

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bortala

$85 11.2% 65% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bortala

$77 10.1% 63.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bortala

$98 12.9% 41% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bortala

$55 7.3% 13.7% $8.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bortala

$20 2.7% 67.9% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $291 in Bortala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.5 times 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $23 in Bortala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $210 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

246,706

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Bortala 7,180 km ≈ 9 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 Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $291 in Bortala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $758 in Bortala – Bortala is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bortala runs roughly 64% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bortala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.