Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $783 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Changsha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $783 in Changsha.

Lisbon $2,210
Changsha $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,282 in Changsha.

Lisbon $3,275
Changsha $1,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,780 in Changsha.

Lisbon $4,341
Changsha $1,780

Living in Lisbon is roughly 182% more expensive than in Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Changsha is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$2.96 ¥19.72

462.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$22.41 ¥149

175.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$4.90 ¥32.65

131.84%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.34 ¥22.27

-11.08%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.51 ¥3.39

349.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.27 ¥1.82

544.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.24 ¥8.26

174.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.90 ¥12.63

74.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.97 ¥13.11

-41.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.37 ¥15.80

-19.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.94 ¥6.29

60.64%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.72 ¥11.46

133.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.99 ¥86.6

-0.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$4.10 ¥27.36

89.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$11.65 ¥77.6

52.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.84 ¥18.94

-19.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.39 ¥9.29

24.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.93 ¥12.85

-3.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.02 ¥13.49

28.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.96 ¥6.40

89.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.66 ¥11.06

18.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.65 ¥4.34

126.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.49 ¥3.28

46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$2.92 ¥19.44

125.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$12.72 ¥84.8

-55.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.03 ¥6.87

32.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.54 ¥10.28

38.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.35 ¥2.35

565.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$14.75 ¥98.4

202.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.48 ¥9.84

160.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.31 ¥2.10

245.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$4.56 ¥30.37

260.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.26 ¥8.42

74.60%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$19.9K ¥132.4K

72.18%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

117.30%

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

$161 €145

$56.1 ¥374

187.33%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$9.08 ¥60.5

102.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$13.61 ¥90.7

140.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$54.8 ¥365

-18.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$24.80 ¥165

-22.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.54 ¥43.62

46.79%

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

$668 €600

$326 ¥2,176

104.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.2K ¥114.5K

2.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$84.4 ¥563

20.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$34.62 ¥231

28.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$90.0 ¥600

9.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$61.2 ¥408

102.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$266 ¥1,775

504.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$167 ¥1,113

613.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$559 ¥3,727

402.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$381 ¥2,540

428.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$2,482 ¥16.5K

215.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$1,414 ¥9,428

223.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,104 ¥7,360

42.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.46

11.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Changsha

$167 21.3% 86% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Changsha

$237 30.3% 12.9% $35

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Changsha

$92 11.7% 62.3% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Changsha

$79 10.1% 62.9% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Changsha

$122 15.5% 26.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 6.5% $4.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 69.6% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $266 in Changsha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 43% 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 $22 in Changsha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $237 per month, with Changsha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

23:43 11:43 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,289,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Changsha 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Changsha differ by about 182% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $783 including rent). Changsha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $266 in Changsha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changsha – a meal for two runs $22 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $783 in Changsha – a 182% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $783 in Changsha versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Changsha but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Changsha the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Changsha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.