Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 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 Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Hefei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $768 in Hefei.

Lisbon $2,202
Hefei $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,225 in Hefei.

Lisbon $3,274
Hefei $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,681 in Hefei.

Lisbon $4,346
Hefei $1,681

Living in Lisbon is roughly 187% more expensive than in Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Hefei is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.58 ¥17.28

560.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.44 ¥150

177.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$4.36 ¥29.18

152.75%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.75 ¥18.39

13.45%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.49 ¥3.26

363.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.27 ¥1.80

544.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.06 ¥7.09

222.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.00 ¥13.35

87.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.62 ¥10.84

-27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.06 ¥13.75

-9.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.81 ¥5.42

90.12%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.92 ¥12.84

111.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$14.10 ¥94.3

-8.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$4.90 ¥32.76

61.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.57 ¥77.3

52.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.31 ¥15.45

-2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.72 ¥11.52

1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.64 ¥10.95

15.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.61 ¥10.79

59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.80 ¥5.37

131.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.94 ¥6.26

109.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.79 ¥5.26

83.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.70 ¥4.70

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.08 ¥20.59

117.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$12.16 ¥81.3

-53.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.93 ¥6.21

47.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.99 ¥13.28

6.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.31 ¥2.09

648.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$45.22 ¥302

-1.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.23 ¥8.21

221.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.33 ¥2.20

218.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$3.51 ¥23.48

388.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.33 ¥8.91

64.66%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

77.56%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

126.54%

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

$164 €146

$48.54 ¥325

237.47%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$9.54 ¥63.8

93.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$12.08 ¥80.8

172.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$15.66 ¥105

192.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$15.31 ¥102

22.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.41 ¥42.85

52.11%

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

$684 €608

$236 ¥1,581

189.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$8,656 ¥57.9K

103.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$89.7 ¥600

15.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$32.76 ¥219

41.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$62.7 ¥419

59.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$96.9 ¥648

28.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$241 ¥1,609

560.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$179 ¥1,197

553.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$532 ¥3,558

435.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$340 ¥2,270

487.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,573 ¥23.9K

118.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,975 ¥13.2K

123.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,011 ¥6,763

58.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.15

22.22%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Hefei: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Hefei

$179 23.3% 84.7% $990

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Hefei

$235 30.6% 14.1% $39

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Hefei

$79 10.3% 68% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Hefei

$70 9.1% 67.4% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Hefei

$127 16.5% 24.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Hefei

$28 3.7% 56.4% $37

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Hefei

$49 6.4% 21.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $241 in Hefei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 58% 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 $22.00 in Hefei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $235 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

9,369,881

💱 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 Hefei 10,410 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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 187% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 58% 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 $241 in Hefei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $768 in Hefei – a 187% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Hefei versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hefei delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $768 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hefei hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Hefei 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 Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 187% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.