Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Chongqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $722 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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 Chongqing
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Chongqing Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Chongqing

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $722 in Chongqing, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Chongqing $722

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $1,175 in Chongqing, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Chongqing $1,175

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $1,629 in Chongqing, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Chongqing $1,629

Lisbon costs about 205% more than Chongqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Chongqing is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.64 ¥17.62

545.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.26 ¥149

179.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$4.83 ¥32.27

128.16%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.07 ¥13.81

50.72%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.46 ¥3.11

393.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.31 ¥2.09

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.22 ¥8.15

180.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.77 ¥11.84

111.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.01 ¥13.44

-41.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.66 ¥11.07

12.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.61 ¥4.05

152.46%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.25 ¥15.04

80.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$17.76 ¥119

-27.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.31 ¥22.11

138.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.03 ¥67.1

75.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.49 ¥10.00

51.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.28 ¥8.57

36.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.23 ¥8.26

53.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.21 ¥8.07

111.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.61 ¥4.08

203.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.02 ¥6.79

93.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.90 ¥6.02

61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.62 ¥4.12

24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.04 ¥20.32

120.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$8.98 ¥60.1

-36.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.76 ¥5.10

80.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.73 ¥11.55

21.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.36 ¥2.38

544.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$22.52 ¥151

97.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.46 ¥9.74

170.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.31 ¥2.09

238.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$2.91 ¥19.46

489.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.32 ¥8.80

65.91%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

73.96%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$17.2K ¥115.0K

122.53%

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

$164 €146

$45.07 ¥301

263.46%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$7.26 ¥48.52

154.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$7.19 ¥48.09

358.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$49.49 ¥331

-7.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$10.40 ¥69.6

79.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.95 ¥39.81

63.87%

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

$684 €608

$289 ¥1,929

137.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$25.1K ¥167.8K

-29.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$39.99 ¥267

159.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$29.64 ¥198

55.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$66.0 ¥441

51.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$64.4 ¥430

93.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$426 ¥2,851

272.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$196 ¥1,313

495.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$894 ¥5,977

218.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$422 ¥2,823

372.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,741 ¥18.3K

184.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,741 ¥11.6K

153.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,102 ¥7,371

45.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.34

15.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chongqing: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Chongqing

$196 27.2% 83.2% $973

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Chongqing

$214 29.7% 21.5% $59

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Chongqing

$73 10.1% 70.5% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Chongqing

$60 8.3% 72.3% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Chongqing

$90 12.5% 46.6% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Chongqing

$61 8.5% 6.1% $4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Chongqing

$27 3.7% 57.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $426 in Chongqing. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 45% higher in Lisbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon versus $22.00 in Chongqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $214 – making Chongqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,564,449

💱 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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Lisbon Chongqing 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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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 Chongqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 205%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $1,082 in Chongqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chongqing, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $684 per month in Lisbon and $289 in Chongqing. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chongqing, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Chongqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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