Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lhasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $738 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 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 Lhasa
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Lhasa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lhasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $738 in Lhasa.

Lisbon $2,210
Lhasa $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,194 in Lhasa.

Lisbon $3,275
Lhasa $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,649 in Lhasa.

Lisbon $4,341
Lhasa $1,649

Living in Lisbon is roughly 199% more expensive than in Lhasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Lhasa is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$4.37 ¥29.06

281.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$30.36 ¥202

103.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$7.38 ¥49.11

53.93%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.81 ¥18.67

5.69%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.43 ¥2.88

432.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.31 ¥2.05

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$1.48 ¥9.85

129.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.08 ¥13.84

59.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.80 ¥11.96

-35.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.65 ¥11.00

15.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.01 ¥6.73

49.50%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.58 ¥10.54

154.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.00 ¥46.59

84.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$3.04 ¥20.23

155.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$11.15 ¥74.2

59.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.83 ¥12.16

25.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.34 ¥8.90

29.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.56 ¥10.41

19.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.33 ¥8.86

94.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.70 ¥4.65

160.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.95 ¥6.34

107.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.59 ¥3.93

149.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.59 ¥3.96

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.84 ¥25.58

71.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$11.23 ¥74.7

-50.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.84 ¥5.62

61.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.61 ¥10.71

32.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.31 ¥2.06

651.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$18.27 ¥122

144.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.47 ¥9.81

161.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.32 ¥2.16

234.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$7.33 ¥48.81

124.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.31 ¥8.71

67.94%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

78.08%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$17.7K ¥117.7K

119.01%

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

$161 €144

$56.5 ¥376

185.29%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$8.54 ¥56.8

115.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$11.23 ¥74.7

191.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$42.42 ¥282

5.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$15.12 ¥101

26.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$6.33 ¥42.15

51.66%

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

$668 €598

$434 ¥2,885

54.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

-1.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$42.74 ¥284

138.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$33.30 ¥222

33.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$75.4 ¥502

30.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$76.4 ¥508

61.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$287 ¥1,910

460.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$189 ¥1,256

530.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$598 ¥3,978

370.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$373 ¥2,482

439.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,221 ¥21.4K

143.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,933 ¥12.9K

136.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,079 ¥13.8K

-24.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.36

14.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lhasa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Lhasa

$189 25.6% 84.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Lhasa

$188 25.5% 31% $84

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Lhasa

$105 14.3% 56.6% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Lhasa

$76 10.3% 64.1% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Lhasa

$103 13.9% 38.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Lhasa

$55 7.5% 13.6% $8.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Lhasa

$23 3.1% 64.2% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $287 in Lhasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays 32% 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 $30 in Lhasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $188 per month, with Lhasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

867,891

💱 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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Between locations

Lisbon Lhasa 8,800 km ≈ 11 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 Lhasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $738 in Lhasa, so Lhasa is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $287 in Lhasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lhasa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $738 in Lhasa versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lhasa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lhasa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Lhasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.