Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Changshu

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $712 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
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Changshu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Changshu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $712 in Changshu.

Lisbon $2,223
Changshu $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,128 in Changshu.

Lisbon $3,271
Changshu $1,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,544 in Changshu.

Lisbon $4,319
Changshu $1,544

Living in Lisbon is roughly 212% more expensive than in Changshu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Changshu is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.83 ¥18.91

483.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$21.95 ¥147

179.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.91 ¥32.85

129.53%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.93 ¥19.60

4.44%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.46 ¥3.08

391.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.27 ¥1.79

540.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$0.87 ¥5.82

289.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.04 ¥13.66

66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.88 ¥12.59

-40.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.55 ¥10.38

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.89 ¥5.97

71.91%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.58 ¥10.58

150.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.80 ¥85.6

-0.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.16 ¥21.10

150.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.02 ¥67.0

69.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.87 ¥12.49

21.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.25 ¥8.35

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.55 ¥10.37

19.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.15 ¥7.70

123.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.70 ¥4.66

165.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.95 ¥6.33

112.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.56 ¥3.72

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.51 ¥3.39

60.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.22 ¥21.52

103.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.47 ¥70.0

-46.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.78 ¥5.22

64.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.57 ¥10.53

31.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.27 ¥1.79

770.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$16.48 ¥110

168.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.42 ¥9.51

180.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.33 ¥2.17

230.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$6.63 ¥44.35

150.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.12 ¥7.52

103.57%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

72.21%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$17.2K ¥115.1K

128.23%

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

$167 €149

$46.01 ¥308

264.03%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$9.96 ¥66.6

88.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$11.63 ¥77.8

184.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$41.09 ¥275

11.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$14.00 ¥93.6

37.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.81 ¥38.83

69.36%

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

$677 €602

$329 ¥2,198

105.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

0.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$43.18 ¥289

134.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$30.03 ¥201

52.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$72.2 ¥483

38.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$71.7 ¥479

71.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$280 ¥1,870

477.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$192 ¥1,283

523.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$597 ¥3,995

378.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$357 ¥2,385

457.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,988 ¥20.0K

153.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,068 ¥13.8K

108.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.89

-1.03%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Changshu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Changshu

$192 27% 84% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Changshu

$198 27.8% 26.6% $72

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Changshu

$84 11.8% 65.4% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Changshu

$68 9.5% 69.2% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Changshu

$98 13.7% 41.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Changshu

$53 7.4% 19.8% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Changshu

$21 2.9% 67.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $280 in Changshu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $22.00 in Changshu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $198 per month, with Changshu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Changshu

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

13:30 1:30 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,677,050

💱 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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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Changshu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changshu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 212% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $1,068 in Changshu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $280 in Changshu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changshu – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $712 in Changshu – a 212% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $712 in Changshu versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changshu but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Changshu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changshu 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 Changshu 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 Changshu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.