Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Harbin

For one person, living is cheaper in Harbin: $1,166 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
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Harbin Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Harbin

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $1,166 in Harbin, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Harbin $1,166

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $1,617 in Harbin, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Harbin $1,617

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $2,069 in Harbin, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Harbin $2,069

Lisbon costs about 89% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Harbin is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.30 ¥15.36

640.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.57 ¥151

175.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.51 ¥36.87

100.00%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.94 ¥19.69

6.12%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.47 ¥3.14

382.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.28 ¥1.89

521.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.85 ¥5.68

302.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.67 ¥11.18

123.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.99 ¥13.32

-41.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.01 ¥13.41

-7.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.97 ¥6.49

58.76%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.38 ¥9.26

194.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.24 ¥61.8

39.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$2.56 ¥17.13

208.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.84 ¥79.2

48.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.62 ¥10.85

39.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.33 ¥8.90

31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.22 ¥8.18

54.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$0.95 ¥6.37

169.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.54 ¥3.62

242.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.52 ¥10.18

29.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.47 ¥3.15

208.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.79 ¥5.28

-2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$2.56 ¥17.14

162.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$17.89 ¥120

-68.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.58 ¥3.91

136.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.55 ¥10.35

36.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.31 ¥2.08

648.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$11.14 ¥74.5

298.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.33 ¥8.89

196.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.29 ¥1.94

262.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$3.65 ¥24.43

369.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.29 ¥8.65

69.77%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

74.22%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$15.6K ¥104.2K

145.48%

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

$164 €146

$75.3 ¥503

117.63%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$14.46 ¥96.7

27.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$12.39 ¥82.9

166.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$84.0 ¥562

-45.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$29.73 ¥199

-37.17%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.97 ¥39.90

63.32%

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

$684 €608

$300 ¥2,004

128.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$10.4K ¥69.3K

69.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$30.31 ¥203

242.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$30.23 ¥202

52.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$72.2 ¥483

38.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$302 ¥2,020

-58.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$327 ¥2,186

386.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$467 ¥3,121

150.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,337 ¥8,941

113.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$522 ¥3,492

281.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,220 ¥21.5K

142.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,357 ¥9,074

225.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$591 ¥3,949

170.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.92

-1.79%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Harbin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Harbin

$467 40.1% 60.1% $702

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Harbin

$209 17.9% 23.4% $64

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Harbin

$81 6.9% 67.3% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Harbin

$102 8.8% 52.6% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Harbin

$196 16.8% 16.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Harbin

$96 8.2% 46.7% $31

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Harbin

$15 1.3% 75.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $327 in Harbin. 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 171% 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 $62.0 in Lisbon versus $23.00 in Harbin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $209 – making Harbin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Harbin

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

10,009,854

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Harbin 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Harbin

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 Harbin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 89% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $1,748 in Harbin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Harbin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Lisbon and $23.00 in Harbin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,202 in Lisbon and $1,166 in Harbin. That's a gap of about 89%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Harbin, where all-in costs run around $1,166, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Harbin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Harbin costs $1,166 versus $2,202 in Lisbon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Harbin. 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.