Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $914 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Guangzhou (Canton) $914

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,442 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,971 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971

Lisbon costs about 142% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Guangzhou (Canton) is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$3.03 ¥20.16

449.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$29.73 ¥198

107.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$5.36 ¥35.66

111.94%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.19 ¥21.21

-6.90%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.54 ¥3.60

324.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.36 ¥2.43

383.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.31 ¥8.74

159.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.75 ¥18.30

20.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.87 ¥12.46

-37.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.92 ¥12.77

-0.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.10 ¥7.30

37.27%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.56 ¥10.40

157.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$16.83 ¥112

-23.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$5.18 ¥34.46

50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$12.00 ¥79.9

48.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.22 ¥14.77

3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.25 ¥8.33

38.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.45 ¥9.64

28.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.72 ¥11.43

50.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.95 ¥6.30

91.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.21 ¥8.07

62.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.84 ¥5.58

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.71 ¥4.74

1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.91 ¥26.05

68.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.86 ¥72.3

-48.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.02 ¥6.80

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.93 ¥12.82

10.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.44 ¥2.92

429.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$18.29 ¥122

144.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.77 ¥11.76

117.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.40 ¥2.66

167.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$7.21 ¥48.01

128.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.37 ¥9.11

60.58%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

73.34%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$17.8K ¥118.7K

117.14%

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

$161 €145

$60.4 ¥402

167.05%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$16.16 ¥108

13.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$14.47 ¥96.3

126.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$70.9 ¥472

-37.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$12.27 ¥81.7

55.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$6.53 ¥43.43

47.01%

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

$668 €600

$1,612 ¥10.7K

-58.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$24.7K ¥164.3K

-28.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$48.97 ¥326

108.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$40.73 ¥271

9.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$82.1 ¥546

20.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$71.3 ¥474

73.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$509 ¥3,386

216.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$270 ¥1,794

341.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,224 ¥8,144

129.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$500 ¥3,330

302.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$8,271 ¥55.0K

-5.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$3,705 ¥24.7K

23.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,269 ¥8,443

24.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.38

13.91%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5% 77.3% $920

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5% 11.2% $31

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3% 61.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10% 57.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12% 34.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2% 31.6% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6% 62.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $509 in Guangzhou (Canton). 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 24% 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 in Lisbon versus $30 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $242 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

02:41 2:41 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Guangzhou (Canton) 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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,371 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $914 in Guangzhou (Canton). That’s a gap of about 142%.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $914, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Guangzhou (Canton). 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.