Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Korla

For one person, living is cheaper in Korla: $674 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Korla
Learn more

Korla Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Korla

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Korla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $674 in Korla.

Lisbon $2,203
Korla $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $1,045 in Korla.

Lisbon $3,237
Korla $1,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $1,417 in Korla.

Lisbon $4,272
Korla $1,417

Living in Lisbon is roughly 227% more expensive than in Korla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 64% above, Korla is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.17

$2.93 ¥19.63

480.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €55.9

$16.48 ¥110

280.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.18

$5.13 ¥34.35

122.61%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.75

$2.81 ¥18.80

9.96%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$0.46 ¥3.08

415.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.24 ¥1.60

591.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$0.85 ¥5.69

307.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$1.46 ¥9.75

125.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.26 ¥8.43

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.93 ¥6.20

101.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.60 ¥4.01

153.33%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$1.60 ¥10.72

142.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.48

$6.08 ¥40.69

111.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$2.50 ¥16.73

217.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.72

$9.64 ¥64.5

82.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.05 ¥13.69

10.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.27 ¥8.53

38.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.81 ¥12.13

3.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.74 ¥4.94

233.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.51 ¥3.41

264.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.61 ¥4.09

239.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.50 ¥3.32

178.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.45 ¥3.01

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$2.89 ¥19.36

138.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$10.34 ¥69.2

-46.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.09 ¥7.27

22.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.51 ¥10.14

43.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.29 ¥1.93

672.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.25

$17.95 ¥120

151.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$1.32 ¥8.82

203.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.23 ¥1.55

365.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.74

$7.54 ¥50.5

119.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.19 ¥7.99

89.92%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$17.6K ¥118.0K

90.06%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$14.0K ¥93.4K

190.04%

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

$164 €146

$68.0 ¥455

140.43%

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

$18.54 €16.53

$5.25 ¥35.18

253.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.61

$11.33 ¥75.9

193.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.02

$41.17 ¥276

11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.77

$14.99 ¥100

25.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.44

$5.19 ¥34.75

82.47%

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

$690 €615

$164 ¥1,094

321.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$9,042 ¥60.5K

86.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$18.16 ¥122

476.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.37

$22.26 ¥149

103.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.2

$105 ¥706

-6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$43.90 ¥294

182.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,411

$290 ¥1,940

446.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,078

$184 ¥1,230

558.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,526

$593 ¥3,967

378.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,751

$372 ¥2,489

428.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,815

$3,195 ¥21.4K

139.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,951

$1,922 ¥12.9K

130.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,402

$754 ¥5,049

108.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.39

11.80%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Korla: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Korla

$184 27.5% 84.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Korla

$158 23.7% 41.8% $114

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Korla

$83 12.4% 66.6% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Korla

$85 12.7% 60.7% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Korla

$85 12.8% 49.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Korla

$52 7.7% 20.6% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Korla

$22 3.2% 66% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $290 in Korla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 108% 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: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $16.00 in Korla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $158 per month, with Korla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Korla

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

15:41 3:41 PM

5 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

779,352

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Lisbon vs Korla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Korla wins on cost – living expenses run 227% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Korla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 108% 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $290 in Korla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Korla runs roughly 151% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $690 in Lisbon versus $164 in Korla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $674 in Korla versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Korla but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Korla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Korla delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $674 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Korla hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Korla 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 Korla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.