Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Putian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $518 in Putian.

Lisbon $2,202
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $854 in Putian.

Lisbon $3,274
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,190 in Putian.

Lisbon $4,346
Putian $1,190

Living in Lisbon is roughly 325% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.21 ¥14.79

671.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$23.26 ¥156

167.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.17 ¥34.57

113.15%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.44 ¥16.32

27.87%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.43 ¥2.88

427.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.29 ¥1.92

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.77 ¥5.16

344.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.93 ¥19.58

27.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.47 ¥9.82

-20.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.25 ¥15.07

-17.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.93 ¥6.19

65.59%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.58 ¥10.58

156.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.73 ¥78.4

10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$2.43 ¥16.22

225.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$12.18 ¥81.4

44.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.55 ¥17.03

-11.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.42 ¥9.49

23.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.70 ¥11.34

11.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.98 ¥13.25

29.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.02 ¥6.79

81.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.77 ¥11.86

11.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.93 ¥6.19

55.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.50 ¥3.36

54.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.04 ¥20.31

120.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$11.18 ¥74.8

-49.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.83 ¥5.58

65.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.71 ¥11.44

23.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.74 ¥4.92

213.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$22.38 ¥150

98.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.52 ¥10.16

159.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.29 ¥1.94

262.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.02 ¥46.94

144.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.31 ¥8.76

67.18%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

74.02%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

115.35%

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

$164 €146

$44.03 ¥294

272.04%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$8.87 ¥59.3

108.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$10.55 ¥70.6

212.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.08 ¥67.4

-3.27%

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

$684 €608

$492 ¥3,286

39.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-27.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$39.10 ¥261

165.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$29.11 ¥195

58.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$103 ¥691

-3.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$85.7 ¥573

45.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,637 ¥17.6K

195.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,115 ¥7,452

296.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$480 ¥3,211

233.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.46

11.27%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Putian

$215 41.6% 21.1% $58

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Putian

$75 14.5% 69.7% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Putian

$63 12.3% 70.5% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Putian

$116 22.4% 31.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 69.2% $45

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Putian

$28 5.5% 55% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays 233% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $215 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

11:09 11:09 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,954,000

💱 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 Putian 11,070 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Putian differ by about 325% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $518 including rent). Putian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 233% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $492 in Putian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $518 in Putian versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Putian 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Putian 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 Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 325% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.