Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Ha Long Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long Bay: $759 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long Bay
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Ha Long Bay Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Ha Long Bay

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Ha Long Bay

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 Ha Long Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $759 in Ha Long Bay.

Lisbon $2,202
Ha Long Bay $759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,224 in Ha Long Bay.

Lisbon $3,274
Ha Long Bay $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,688 in Ha Long Bay.

Lisbon $4,346
Ha Long Bay $1,688

Living in Lisbon is roughly 190% more expensive than in Ha Long Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Ha Long Bay is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.21

$2.06 ₫53.2K

727.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.6

$19.24 ₫497.1K

223.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.83

$4.35 ₫112.4K

153.33%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.79

$1.60 ₫41.4K

95.00%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.38 ₫9,810

497.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.35 ₫9,088

397.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$0.88 ₫22.7K

288.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.34

$1.33 ₫34.4K

181.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.52 ₫39.3K

-23.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.12 ₫29.0K

66.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.89 ₫23.1K

73.03%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.63

$1.13 ₫29.2K

259.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.53

$10.47 ₫270.6K

23.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$3.80 ₫98.2K

107.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.75

$10.88 ₫281.2K

62.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.94 ₫75.9K

-23.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.94 ₫24.2K

86.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.37 ₫35.3K

37.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.18 ₫30.4K

116.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.98 ₫25.3K

88.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.13 ₫29.2K

74.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.65 ₫16.8K

123.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.51 ₫13.3K

50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.99

$1.37 ₫35.5K

389.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.06

$11.37 ₫293.8K

-50.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.87 ₫22.4K

57.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.65 ₫42.7K

27.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.34 ₫8,888

582.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.65

$6.31 ₫163.2K

604.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$0.71 ₫18.4K

456.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.61 ₫15.7K

72.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.31

$2.71 ₫70.0K

532.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.02 ₫26.5K

114.71%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$33.2K ₫858.7M

1.66%

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

$38.3K €34.2K

$30.2K ₫779.2M

26.89%

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

$164 €146

$71.9 ₫1.9M

127.96%

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

$18.48 €16.49

$6.52 ₫168.4K

183.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.42

$8.58 ₫221.6K

284.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.93

$22.65 ₫585.3K

102.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.67

$6.89 ₫178.0K

171.12%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.70

$3.11 ₫80.3K

213.50%

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

$684 €611

$191 ₫4.9M

257.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$14.2K ₫367.5M

23.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.6

$48.88 ₫1.3M

112.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.23

$26.10 ₫674.5K

77.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €89.0

$78.7 ₫2.0M

26.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$85.3 ₫2.2M

46.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,418

$386 ₫10.0M

312.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,043

$272 ₫7.0M

330.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,544

$881 ₫22.8M

223.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,779

$612 ₫15.8M

225.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,955

$2,009 ₫51.9M

287.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,943

$1,215 ₫31.4M

263.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,428

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

8.28

-53.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ha Long Bay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Ha Long Bay

$272 35.8% 76.8% $897

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Ha Long Bay

$194 25.5% 29.1% $79

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Ha Long Bay

$59 7.7% 76.3% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Ha Long Bay

$87 11.5% 59.6% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Ha Long Bay

$108 14.2% 36.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Ha Long Bay

$29 3.8% 55.9% $37

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Ha Long Bay

$11 1.5% 81.8% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $386 in Ha Long Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $19 in Ha Long Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $194 per month, with Ha Long Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇻🇳 Ha Long Bay

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

00:59 12:59 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

270,054

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 25,840 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,952 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Ha Long Bay 10,630 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Ha Long Bay

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 Ha Long Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha Long Bay is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 190% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $1,138 in Ha Long Bay 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $386 in Ha Long Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ha Long Bay runs roughly 86% 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 $191 in Ha Long Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $759 in Ha Long Bay versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ha Long Bay but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ha Long Bay 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 Ha Long Bay 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 Ha Long Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.