Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kunshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunshan: $714 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Kunshan
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Kunshan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Kunshan

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kunshan

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $714 in Kunshan, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Kunshan $714

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,137 in Kunshan, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Kunshan $1,137

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,560 in Kunshan, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Kunshan $1,560

Lisbon costs about 212% more than Kunshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Kunshan is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.76 ¥18.46

497.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$21.65 ¥145

182.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.99 ¥33.35

125.85%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.08 ¥20.60

-0.65%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.46 ¥3.10

391.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.27 ¥1.80

540.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$0.92 ¥6.18

268.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.14 ¥14.32

58.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.86 ¥12.44

-39.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.59 ¥10.63

16.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.94 ¥6.29

62.77%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.59 ¥10.65

149.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$12.94 ¥86.5

-1.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.14 ¥21.02

151.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.18 ¥68.1

66.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.81 ¥12.09

25.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.25 ¥8.38

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.49 ¥9.99

24.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.14 ¥7.64

125.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.73 ¥4.89

154.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.97 ¥6.50

108.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.57 ¥3.79

152.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.51 ¥3.44

60.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.09 ¥20.68

112.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$10.70 ¥71.5

-47.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.74 ¥4.93

72.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.65 ¥11.00

25.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.29 ¥1.96

710.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$17.02 ¥114

159.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.40 ¥9.37

185.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.33 ¥2.20

230.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$6.49 ¥43.38

156.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.13 ¥7.58

101.77%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

72.66%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$16.9K ¥113.2K

132.11%

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

$167 €149

$45.06 ¥301

271.70%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$9.74 ¥65.1

93.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$11.75 ¥78.5

181.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$42.03 ¥281

9.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$13.90 ¥92.9

38.06%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.99 ¥40.04

64.27%

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

$677 €602

$337 ¥2,252

101.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

0.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$43.07 ¥288

135.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$30.24 ¥202

51.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$70.7 ¥473

41.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$71.3 ¥477

72.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$274 ¥1,834

488.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$190 ¥1,271

529.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$591 ¥3,948

384.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$367 ¥2,455

441.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,017 ¥20.2K

151.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,058 ¥13.8K

109.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.89

-1.03%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kunshan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Kunshan

$190 26.7% 84.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Kunshan

$199 27.9% 26.2% $70

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Kunshan

$86 12% 64.6% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Kunshan

$67 9.3% 69.7% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kunshan

$97 13.6% 41.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Kunshan

$54 7.6% 17.8% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Kunshan

$21 3% 66.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $274 in Kunshan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon versus $22.00 in Kunshan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $199 – making Kunshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Kunshan

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

13:30 1:30 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,092,496

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Kunshan 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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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 Kunshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 212%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,070 in Kunshan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kunshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $22.00 in Kunshan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,223 in Lisbon and $714 in Kunshan. That's a gap of about 212%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kunshan, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Kunshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kunshan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Kunshan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.