Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Hua-lien

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,054 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Hua-lien, Taiwan
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Hua-lien
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,054
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,054 in Hua-lien.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Hua-lien $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,788 in Hua-lien.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Hua-lien $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,522 in Hua-lien.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Hua-lien $2,522

Living in Lisbon is roughly 110% more expensive than in Hua-lien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Hua-lien is 23% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$4.08 NT$133
308.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$27.90 NT$910
121.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$4.13 NT$135
175.06%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$2.62 NT$85.3
13.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.93 NT$30.42
146.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.53 NT$17.23
228.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$1.33 NT$43.26
155.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.04 NT$66.4
62.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$2.74 NT$89.2
-57.66%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.64 NT$53.5
16.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$4.53 NT$148
-66.67%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$1.93 NT$62.9
108.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$19.15 NT$624
-32.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$5.93 NT$193
31.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$25.47 NT$831
-30.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$2.67 NT$87.0
-13.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$2.44 NT$79.5
-29.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$3.20 NT$104
-41.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$3.09 NT$101
-16.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$2.29 NT$74.7
-20.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$2.35 NT$76.5
-16.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.99 NT$64.9
-26.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.96 NT$31.42
-25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$3.76 NT$122
75.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$12.33 NT$402
-54.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.85 NT$60.4
-26.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.30 NT$74.9
-6.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.60 NT$19.45
288.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
$33.87 NT$1,104
31.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$3.07 NT$100
25.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.30 NT$9.64
256.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$9.86 NT$321
66.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.91 NT$29.62
141.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$35.5K NT$1.2M
-3.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$23.7K NT$772.4K
63.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$99.3 NT$3,237
62.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$18.72 NT$610
-1.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$12.53 NT$409
161.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$35.49 NT$1,157
25.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$10.12 NT$330
-5.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$729 NT$23.8K
-8.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$16.2K NT$527.1K
8.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$55.5 NT$1,811
83.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$34.63 NT$1,129
28.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$76.5 NT$2,495
28.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$103 NT$3,359
20.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$417 NT$13.6K
285.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$254 NT$8,268
369.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$1,025 NT$33.4K
174.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$749 NT$24.4K
168.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$7,568 NT$246.7K
3.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
$4,914 NT$160.2K
-6.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Hua-lien
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$2,802 NT$91.4K
-43.79%
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 Hua-lien: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Hua-lien
$254 78.7% $936
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Hua-lien
$359 31.8% $87
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Hua-lien
$93 61.7% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Hua-lien
$131 38.5% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Hua-lien
$121 26.8% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Hua-lien
$56 12.6% $8
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Hua-lien
$41 35.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $417 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $28 in Hua-lien. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $359, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇼 Hua-lien
🕒 Local time
04:02 4:02 AM
12:02 12:02 PM
8 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
105,034
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Hua-lien 11,360 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisbon or Hua-lien?
Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 52% 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.
Are salaries higher in Lisbon or in Hua-lien?
On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lisbon compared to Hua-lien?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $417 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Lisbon or in Hua-lien?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How do dining costs compare in Lisbon and in Hua-lien?
Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $28 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lisbon or in Hua-lien?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hua-lien is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Lisbon or Hua-lien?
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.
How safe is Lisbon compared to Hua-lien?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Hua-lien are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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