Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dalian

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $910 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
Learn more

Dalian Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dalian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $910 in Dalian.

Lisbon $2,223
Dalian $910

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,436 in Dalian.

Lisbon $3,271
Dalian $1,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,961 in Dalian.

Lisbon $4,319
Dalian $1,961

Living in Lisbon is roughly 144% more expensive than in Dalian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Dalian is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.49 ¥23.37

372.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$24.97 ¥167

145.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$5.13 ¥34.27

119.69%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.30 ¥22.08

-7.27%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.47 ¥3.15

380.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.23 ¥1.53

652.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$0.92 ¥6.18

268.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.45 ¥9.69

134.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.63 ¥10.88

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.47 ¥9.84

26.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.94 ¥6.32

62.77%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.56 ¥10.46

153.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$20.01 ¥134

-36.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.36 ¥22.43

135.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$12.72 ¥85.1

33.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.30 ¥8.70

74.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.10 ¥7.34

59.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.95 ¥13.02

-5.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$0.89 ¥5.94

188.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.88 ¥5.91

111.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.72 ¥4.82

180.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.35 ¥9.06

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.66 ¥4.43

24.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.83 ¥25.59

71.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$14.50 ¥96.9

-61.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.05 ¥7.02

21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.94 ¥12.94

6.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.31 ¥2.08

658.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$29.43 ¥197

50.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.45 ¥9.70

175.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.43 ¥2.87

153.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$4.17 ¥27.89

299.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.26 ¥8.43

80.95%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.1K ¥127.8K

76.25%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$17.9K ¥120.0K

118.95%

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

$167 €149

$64.6 ¥432

159.35%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$8.99 ¥60.1

109.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$13.47 ¥90.1

145.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$41.84 ¥280

9.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$36.00 ¥241

-46.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.78 ¥45.36

45.13%

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

$677 €602

$407 ¥2,724

66.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$20.3K ¥135.4K

-16.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$75.0 ¥501

35.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$55.2 ¥369

-17.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$114 ¥762

-12.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$120 ¥802

2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$412 ¥2,753

292.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$240 ¥1,602

399.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$706 ¥4,719

305.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$437 ¥2,923

355.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,650 ¥17.7K

185.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,597 ¥10.7K

169.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,095 ¥7,320

45.03%

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 Dalian: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Dalian

$240 26.3% 80% $957

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Dalian

$237 26% 12.1% $32

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Dalian

$93 10.3% 61.5% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Dalian

$87 9.6% 60.3% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Dalian

$164 18% 1.5% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Dalian

$55 6.1% 15.6% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Dalian

$34 3.8% 45.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $412 in Dalian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 45% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $25.00 in Dalian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $237 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

06:35 6:35 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

7,450,785

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Dalian 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Dalian

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 Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Dalian differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $910 including rent). Dalian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $412 in Dalian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $407 in Dalian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $910 in Dalian versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Dalian 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 Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.