Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hsinchu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hsinchu: $1,140 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Hsinchu
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,140
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Hsinchu

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,140 in Hsinchu, rent included.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Hsinchu $1,140

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,917 in Hsinchu, rent included.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Hsinchu $1,917

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,693 in Hsinchu, rent included.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Hsinchu $2,693

Lisbon costs about 94% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Hsinchu is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.95
$3.67 NT$119
353.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.5
$27.83 NT$902
121.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.20
$4.75 NT$154
139.16%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.67
$2.99 NT$96.7
-0.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.06
$0.90 NT$29.18
154.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.66 NT$21.23
163.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.06
$1.89 NT$61.3
79.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.24 NT$72.7
47.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$2.75 NT$89.1
-57.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.72
$1.62 NT$52.6
17.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$4.35 NT$141
-65.29%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.61
$2.76 NT$89.6
45.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.62
$35.37 NT$1,146
-63.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.98
$6.92 NT$224
12.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.95
$20.54 NT$665
-13.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.07
$2.60 NT$84.2
-11.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.56
$2.43 NT$78.7
-28.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.67
$3.24 NT$105
-42.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.33
$3.10 NT$100
-16.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.64
$2.36 NT$76.4
-22.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.77
$2.31 NT$74.9
-14.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.96 NT$63.5
-25.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$1.36 NT$44.04
-47.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.91
$3.90 NT$126
68.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$12.08 NT$391
-53.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.88 NT$61.0
-27.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.92
$2.29 NT$74.1
-6.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.10
$0.51 NT$16.65
356.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.14
$38.54 NT$1,249
15.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.46
$2.99 NT$97.0
28.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.30 NT$9.58
256.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.79
$9.82 NT$318
67.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.98
$1.01 NT$32.78
117.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.7K
$34.7K NT$1.1M
-1.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.8K
$23.6K NT$764.2K
64.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €145
$102 NT$3,295
58.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.54
$19.11 NT$619
-3.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.41
$20.66 NT$670
58.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €40.02
$51.0 NT$1,653
-12.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.16
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.62
$10.28 NT$333
-6.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €600
$735 NT$23.8K
-9.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$16.3K NT$528.2K
8.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.6
$56.1 NT$1,817
81.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.94
$34.95 NT$1,132
27.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.5
$75.7 NT$2,452
30.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$103 NT$3,331
20.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,445
$418 NT$13.6K
284.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,069
$257 NT$8,324
363.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,526
$1,100 NT$35.6K
155.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,808
$756 NT$24.5K
166.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,042
$6,930 NT$224.5K
13.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,110
$4,621 NT$149.7K
-0.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Hsinchu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,415
$2,398 NT$77.7K
-34.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
2.13
80.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hsinchu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Hsinchu
$257 78.4% $933
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Hsinchu
$405 48.5% $132
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Hsinchu
$100 58.9% $143
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Hsinchu
$141 33.4% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Hsinchu
$121 26.9% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Hsinchu
$72 12.3% $7.9
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Hsinchu
$45 28.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $418 in Hsinchu. 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 52% higher in Hsinchu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $28 in Hsinchu. Groceries tell a different story – $272 in Lisbon vs $405 in Hsinchu – so Lisbon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇼 Hsinchu
🕒 Local time
17:58 5:58 PM
01:58 1:58 AM
8 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
453,120
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.4 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.07 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Hsinchu 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Hsinchu

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 Hsinchu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Hsinchu?
Lisbon costs about 94% more than Hsinchu, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Lisbon and in Hsinchu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,711 in Hsinchu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lisbon or Hsinchu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hsinchu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
How expensive is transport in Lisbon compared to Hsinchu?
Public transport costs about 14% less in Hsinchu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Lisbon and in Hsinchu?
Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $735 in Hsinchu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lisbon or in Hsinchu?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,140 in Hsinchu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Lisbon or Hsinchu?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,140 in Hsinchu to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Lisbon compared to Hsinchu?
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.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

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