Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Foshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Foshan: $777 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Foshan
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Foshan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Foshan

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Foshan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $777 in Foshan.

Lisbon $2,223
Foshan $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,242 in Foshan.

Lisbon $3,271
Foshan $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,708 in Foshan.

Lisbon $4,319
Foshan $1,708

Living in Lisbon is roughly 186% more expensive than in Foshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Foshan is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.78 ¥25.26

336.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$22.79 ¥152

168.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$5.11 ¥34.19

120.55%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.07 ¥20.50

-0.33%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.52 ¥3.49

334.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.31 ¥2.09

458.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.22 ¥8.17

177.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.89 ¥12.61

79.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.66 ¥11.11

-32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.12 ¥7.48

66.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.92 ¥6.16

66.30%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.70 ¥11.38

132.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$16.68 ¥112

-23.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.92 ¥26.18

101.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.69 ¥71.5

58.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.01 ¥20.16

-24.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.27 ¥8.51

37.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.90 ¥12.69

-2.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.63 ¥10.91

57.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.09 ¥7.27

70.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.95 ¥6.38

112.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.64 ¥4.26

125.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.50 ¥3.36

64.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$2.23 ¥14.89

194.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.23 ¥68.4

-45.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.93 ¥6.24

37.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.51 ¥10.13

37.09%

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

$10.62 ¥71.0

316.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.52 ¥10.18

162.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.47 ¥3.15

131.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$8.81 ¥58.9

88.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.22 ¥8.19

86.89%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$21.3K ¥142.3K

58.23%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$16.2K ¥108.3K

142.61%

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

$167 €149

$84.5 ¥565

98.17%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$7.92 ¥53.0

137.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$15.69 ¥105

110.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$71.4 ¥477

-35.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$23.83 ¥159

-19.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.31 ¥35.50

85.31%

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

$677 €602

$457 ¥3,054

48.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$23.3K ¥155.8K

-27.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$42.21 ¥282

139.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$18.76 ¥125

143.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$62.1 ¥415

61.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$91.8 ¥614

33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$304 ¥2,031

431.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$159 ¥1,061

654.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$596 ¥3,982

380.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$341 ¥2,279

483.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$4,329 ¥28.9K

75.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,864 ¥12.5K

131.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$802 ¥5,362

97.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.83

0.52%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Foshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Foshan

$159 20.4% 86.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Foshan

$220 28.4% 18.2% $49

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Foshan

$96 12.3% 60.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Foshan

$108 13.9% 50.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Foshan

$97 12.4% 41.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Foshan

$82 10.6% 24.8% $16

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Foshan

$16 2% 75% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $304 in Foshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 98% 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 $23.00 in Foshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $220 per month, with Foshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Foshan

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

13:30 1:30 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

9,498,863

💱 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 Foshan 10,890 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 Foshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 186% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 98% 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 $304 in Foshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Foshan runs roughly 316% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $457 in Foshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $777 in Foshan versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foshan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Foshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Foshan 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 Foshan 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 Foshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.