Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Datong

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $713 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Datong
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Datong Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Datong

🇨🇳 China

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Datong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $713 in Datong.

Lisbon $2,206
Datong $713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,133 in Datong.

Lisbon $3,276
Datong $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,553 in Datong.

Lisbon $4,346
Datong $1,553

Living in Lisbon is roughly 209% more expensive than in Datong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Datong is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.00

$2.75 ¥18.30

513.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.3

$21.93 ¥146

178.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.77

$4.79 ¥31.95

129.23%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$3.09 ¥20.58

-1.29%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.43 ¥2.90

430.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.29 ¥1.95

479.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$0.90 ¥5.97

282.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.05 ¥13.64

90.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.80 ¥12.03

-36.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.54 ¥10.26

22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.98 ¥6.50

53.06%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$1.56 ¥10.38

164.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.57

$12.86 ¥85.7

1.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$3.23 ¥21.51

148.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.92

$10.09 ¥67.3

77.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.89 ¥12.59

20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.21 ¥8.09

43.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.55 ¥10.30

17.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.15 ¥7.64

133.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.75 ¥5.03

136.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.90 ¥5.99

115.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.56 ¥3.76

160.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.54 ¥3.62

40.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$3.10 ¥20.63

114.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$10.70 ¥71.3

-47.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.78 ¥5.22

65.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.58 ¥10.56

35.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.29 ¥1.95

693.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

$17.04 ¥114

158.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.37 ¥9.16

190.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.36 ¥2.38

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.84

$6.78 ¥45.21

179.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.18 ¥7.89

93.22%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$19.1K ¥127.0K

75.10%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$17.1K ¥114.0K

125.02%

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

$158 €141

$44.32 ¥295

256.93%

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

$17.54 €15.61

$9.82 ¥65.4

78.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.75

$11.70 ¥78.0

166.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

$42.16 ¥281

5.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

$13.77 ¥91.7

37.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.52

$5.99 ¥39.89

59.93%

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

$674 €599

$338 ¥2,252

99.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$16.9K ¥112.8K

10.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.9

$44.48 ¥296

129.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.85

$30.37 ¥202

51.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$71.4 ¥476

43.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$71.3 ¥475

71.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$276 ¥1,836

495.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$191 ¥1,271

522.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

$603 ¥4,018

368.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

$360 ¥2,398

460.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

$3,037 ¥20.2K

158.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

$2,026 ¥13.5K

131.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,501

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.89

-1.80%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Datong: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Datong

$191 26.7% 83.9% $997

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Datong

$199 27.8% 27.7% $76

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Datong

$85 11.9% 65.4% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Datong

$66 9.2% 68.2% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Datong

$98 13.7% 41.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Datong

$54 7.6% 15.2% $9.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Datong

$21 3% 64.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $276 in Datong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $22 in Datong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $199 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Datong

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,318,057

💱 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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Between locations

Lisbon Datong 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Datong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $1,070 in Datong 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $276 in Datong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $338 in Datong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $713 in Datong versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Datong 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 Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.