Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $815 in Dongguan.

Lisbon $2,202
Dongguan $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,295 in Dongguan.

Lisbon $3,274
Dongguan $1,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,775 in Dongguan.

Lisbon $4,346
Dongguan $1,775

Living in Lisbon is roughly 170% more expensive than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Dongguan is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.64 ¥17.64

545.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.83 ¥153

172.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.20 ¥34.75

111.92%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.61 ¥17.44

19.54%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.48 ¥3.18

372.92%

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

$0.88 ¥5.90

288.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.23 ¥14.88

67.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.59 ¥10.61

-26.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.63 ¥10.93

14.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.97 ¥6.50

58.76%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.59 ¥10.66

155.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$21.14 ¥141

-38.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.28 ¥21.96

140.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.27 ¥95.4

23.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.25 ¥15.03

0.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.56 ¥10.45

12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.85 ¥12.39

2.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.49 ¥9.98

71.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.04 ¥6.95

77.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.24 ¥8.30

58.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.56 ¥3.75

158.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.58 ¥3.90

32.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.45 ¥29.79

50.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.18 ¥81.5

-53.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.92 ¥6.17

48.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.76 ¥11.74

19.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.35 ¥2.37

562.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$22.38 ¥150

98.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.18 ¥7.86

234.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.41 ¥2.75

156.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$4.44 ¥29.68

286.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.31 ¥8.77

67.18%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

75.06%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$17.6K ¥117.9K

116.93%

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

$164 €146

$63.1 ¥422

159.81%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$9.11 ¥60.9

102.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$12.96 ¥86.7

154.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$51.6 ¥345

-11.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$16.09 ¥108

16.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$7.53 ¥50.3

29.48%

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

$684 €608

$531 ¥3,550

28.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.3K ¥162.8K

-27.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$46.78 ¥313

121.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$40.30 ¥269

14.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$72.5 ¥485

37.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$39.04 ¥261

219.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$380 ¥2,538

318.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$219 ¥1,461

434.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$662 ¥4,423

330.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$431 ¥2,884

362.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$5,650 ¥37.8K

37.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$3,075 ¥20.6K

43.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$856 ¥5,725

86.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.35

14.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Dongguan

$219 26.8% 81.3% $951

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Dongguan

$248 30.4% 9.2% $25

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Dongguan

$80 9.8% 67.7% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Dongguan

$85 10.5% 60.5% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Dongguan

$89 11% 46.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Dongguan

$67 8.2% 2% $1.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Dongguan

$27 3.3% 57% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $380 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 87% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $23.00 in Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $248 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

8,254,100

💱 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 Dongguan 10,940 km ≈ 14 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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 170% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 87% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $380 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 99% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $531 in Dongguan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Dongguan versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dongguan 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 Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.