Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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 Lanzhou
Learn more

Lanzhou Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lanzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $719 in Lanzhou.

Lisbon $2,223
Lanzhou $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,143 in Lanzhou.

Lisbon $3,271
Lanzhou $1,143

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,567 in Lanzhou.

Lisbon $4,319
Lanzhou $1,567

Living in Lisbon is roughly 209% more expensive than in Lanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Lanzhou is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.06 ¥13.80

700.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$28.34 ¥189

116.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$5.86 ¥39.15

92.32%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.12 ¥20.89

-1.92%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.48 ¥3.19

370.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.29 ¥1.93

496.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.10 ¥7.35

208.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.02 ¥13.54

68.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.77 ¥11.81

-36.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.61 ¥10.75

15.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.96 ¥6.40

59.38%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.60 ¥10.72

147.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$13.22 ¥88.4

-3.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.43 ¥22.92

130.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$12.11 ¥81.0

40.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.81 ¥12.09

25.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.28 ¥8.56

36.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.49 ¥9.97

24.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.24 ¥8.32

107.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.70 ¥4.70

165.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.93 ¥6.21

117.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.60 ¥3.99

140.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.55 ¥3.70

49.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.77 ¥25.19

74.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$11.52 ¥77.0

-51.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.83 ¥5.52

54.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.53 ¥10.25

35.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.29 ¥1.92

710.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$18.07 ¥121

144.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.48 ¥9.91

169.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.32 ¥2.17

240.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$7.12 ¥47.58

133.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.46 ¥9.73

56.16%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$17.5K ¥117.2K

92.08%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$15.0K ¥100.4K

161.79%

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

$167 €149

$58.0 ¥388

188.73%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$8.79 ¥58.8

113.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$11.18 ¥74.8

195.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$42.33 ¥283

8.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$14.69 ¥98.2

30.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.29 ¥42.06

56.44%

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

$677 €602

$412 ¥2,756

64.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

-3.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$42.85 ¥287

136.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$33.44 ¥224

36.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$75.6 ¥505

32.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$74.1 ¥495

65.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$295 ¥1,971

447.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$168 ¥1,126

610.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$626 ¥4,186

357.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$297 ¥1,986

569.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,671 ¥17.9K

183.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,611 ¥10.8K

167.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$953 ¥6,375

66.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

28.33%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Lanzhou

$168 23.4% 85.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Lanzhou

$209 29.1% 22.3% $60

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Lanzhou

$84 11.7% 65.2% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Lanzhou

$78 10.9% 64.5% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Lanzhou

$102 14.2% 38.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Lanzhou

$55 7.6% 16.4% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Lanzhou

$22 3.1% 64.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $295 in Lanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 67% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $28.00 in Lanzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $209 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

13:30 1:30 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,688,400

💱 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 Lanzhou 9,230 km ≈ 12 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 Lanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lanzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 209% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 67% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $295 in Lanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $412 in Lanzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Lanzhou versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanzhou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lanzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lanzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.