Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kunming, Yunnan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunming, Yunnan: $779 a month against $2,210 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 Kunming, Yunnan
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Kunming, Yunnan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kunming, Yunnan

🇨🇳 China

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kunming, Yunnan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $779 in Kunming, Yunnan.

Lisbon $2,210
Kunming, Yunnan $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,223 in Kunming, Yunnan.

Lisbon $3,275
Kunming, Yunnan $1,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,668 in Kunming, Yunnan.

Lisbon $4,341
Kunming, Yunnan $1,668

Living in Lisbon is roughly 184% more expensive than in Kunming, Yunnan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$2.31 ¥15.34

620.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$22.51 ¥150

174.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$6.44 ¥42.87

76.40%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.96 ¥19.72

0.34%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.47 ¥3.16

387.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.31 ¥2.07

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.46 ¥9.69

132.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.21 ¥14.72

49.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.77 ¥11.80

-34.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.72 ¥11.46

11.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.48 ¥9.86

2.03%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.60 ¥10.65

151.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.46 ¥49.66

73.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$4.56 ¥30.31

70.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$11.82 ¥78.7

50.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.43 ¥9.52

60.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.10 ¥7.32

57.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.58 ¥10.51

17.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.19 ¥7.89

117.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.36 ¥2.38

405.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.94 ¥6.25

109.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.68 ¥11.16

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.66 ¥4.42

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.02 ¥20.09

117.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$6.69 ¥44.53

-16.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.79 ¥5.24

72.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.50 ¥9.98

42.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.77 ¥5.15

202.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$29.68 ¥198

50.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.54 ¥10.25

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.31 ¥2.08

245.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$14.83 ¥98.7

10.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.24 ¥8.24

77.42%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$20.6K ¥136.8K

66.30%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$17.3K ¥115.3K

123.57%

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

$161 €144

$55.4 ¥369

190.80%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$14.85 ¥98.8

23.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$17.42 ¥116

87.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$42.31 ¥282

5.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$25.14 ¥167

-24.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.94 ¥39.51

61.62%

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

$668 €598

$351 ¥2,338

90.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$13.9K ¥92.7K

26.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$70.9 ¥472

43.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$51.9 ¥346

-14.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$76.2 ¥507

29.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$111 ¥738

11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$240 ¥1,594

571.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$181 ¥1,206

556.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$542 ¥3,610

418.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$320 ¥2,132

528.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$3,120 ¥20.8K

151.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$1,333 ¥8,868

243.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$859 ¥5,714

83.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.6

6.94%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kunming, Yunnan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kunming, Yunnan

$181 23.3% 84.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kunming, Yunnan

$192 24.6% 29.5% $80

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kunming, Yunnan

$88 11.3% 63.6% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kunming, Yunnan

$88 11.3% 58.7% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kunming, Yunnan

$139 17.9% 15.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kunming, Yunnan

$54 7% 15% $9.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kunming, Yunnan

$36 4.6% 43.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $240 in Kunming, Yunnan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 83% 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 in Lisbon vs $23 in Kunming, Yunnan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $192 per month, with Kunming, Yunnan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Kunming, Yunnan

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

06:15 6:15 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,583,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Kunming, Yunnan 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Kunming, Yunnan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kunming, Yunnan wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kunming, Yunnan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 83% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $240 in Kunming, Yunnan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kunming, Yunnan – a meal for two runs $23 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $779 in Kunming, Yunnan – Kunming, Yunnan is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Kunming, Yunnan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.