Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hua-lien Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hua-lien

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,296 in Lisbon versus $1,097 in Hua-lien.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,376 in Lisbon versus $1,856 in Hua-lien.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,457 in Lisbon versus $2,615 in Hua-lien.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 109% more expensive than in Hua-lien, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 68% above, Hua-lien is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.33

$4.16 NT$132

322.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.9 €54.8

$28.51 NT$907

120.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 €10.10

$4.23 NT$135

173.76%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.70

$2.84 NT$90.4

9.15%

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

$2.49 €2.17

$0.94 NT$29.92

164.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.52

$0.55 NT$17.42

216.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 €3.03

$1.38 NT$43.98

152.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.00

$2.10 NT$67.0

63.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.00

$2.82 NT$89.8

-59.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.66

$1.68 NT$53.4

13.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.31

$4.55 NT$145

-67.03%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.47

$1.90 NT$60.5

109.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.59

$19.71 NT$627

-32.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.01 €6.98

$6.33 NT$201

26.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.04 €15.73

$25.80 NT$821

-30.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.05

$2.69 NT$85.6

-12.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.53

$2.60 NT$82.7

-32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.62

$3.28 NT$104

-43.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.22

$3.20 NT$102

-20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.61

$2.34 NT$74.4

-21.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.83

$2.45 NT$77.9

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.30

$2.02 NT$64.2

-26.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.71

$0.91 NT$29.12

-9.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.10 €6.19

$3.87 NT$123

83.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 €5.15

$12.61 NT$401

-53.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.15

$1.98 NT$63.1

-33.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.86

$2.36 NT$75.0

-9.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 €2.05

$0.61 NT$19.34

286.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.62 €40.63

$35.79 NT$1,139

30.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.55

$3.24 NT$103

25.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €0.99

$0.31 NT$9.86

267.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.09 €14.90

$10.36 NT$330

64.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.01

$0.89 NT$28.23

159.55%

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

$34.1K €29.7K

$33.3K NT$1.1M

2.39%

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

$41.4K €36.1K

$27.3K NT$870.2K

51.35%

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

$169 €147

$102 NT$3,232

66.03%

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

$19.33 €16.85

$19.68 NT$626

-1.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.51 €29.21

$12.85 NT$409

160.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.84 €42.57

$36.75 NT$1,170

32.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.43 €16.94

Cinema Ticket

$9.57 €8.34

$10.10 NT$322

-5.25%

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

$696 €607

$754 NT$24.0K

-7.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K €15.1K

$16.9K NT$538.2K

2.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €91.8

$58.8 NT$1,872

79.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.75 €41.62

$35.99 NT$1,146

32.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €87.6

$80.9 NT$2,575

24.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €108

$106 NT$3,362

17.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 €1,449

$417 NT$13.3K

298.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,086

$253 NT$8,045

393.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,965 €2,584

$983 NT$31.3K

201.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 €1,786

$755 NT$24.0K

171.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,834 €6,829

$7,481 NT$238.1K

4.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,464 €3,892

$5,013 NT$159.6K

-10.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,632 €1,422

$2,942 NT$93.7K

-44.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.78

2.13

77.46%

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

Last update for Lisbon: September 12, 2026

Last update for Hua-lien: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,662 in Lisbon and $417 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $29.00 in Hua-lien. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $368, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 109% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Hua-lien. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,662 in Lisbon versus $417 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 33% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $63.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,097 in Hua-lien versus $2,296 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hua-lien delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,097 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hua-lien hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Hua-lien 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 Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.