Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Qingdao, Shandong

For one person, living is cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong: $777 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
Learn more

Qingdao, Shandong Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Qingdao, Shandong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $777 in Qingdao, Shandong.

Lisbon $2,223
Qingdao, Shandong $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,234 in Qingdao, Shandong.

Lisbon $3,271
Qingdao, Shandong $1,234

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,691 in Qingdao, Shandong.

Lisbon $4,319
Qingdao, Shandong $1,691

Living in Lisbon is roughly 186% more expensive than in Qingdao, Shandong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Qingdao, Shandong is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.96 ¥19.76

457.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$17.99 ¥120

240.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.54 ¥30.34

148.24%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.68 ¥17.88

14.18%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.51 ¥3.39

343.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.32 ¥2.16

440.63%

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

$2.68 ¥17.88

26.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.98 ¥13.24

-43.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.42 ¥9.46

30.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.99 ¥6.64

54.55%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.30 ¥8.70

204.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$16.10 ¥108

-20.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$4.29 ¥28.65

84.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.67 ¥64.5

75.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.44 ¥9.65

57.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.15 ¥7.70

52.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.71 ¥11.40

8.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.32 ¥8.79

94.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.68 ¥4.56

173.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.96 ¥6.42

110.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.01 ¥6.72

42.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.66 ¥4.39

24.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.76 ¥25.12

74.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$14.36 ¥95.9

-60.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.03 ¥6.87

24.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.55 ¥10.35

33.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.31 ¥2.07

658.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$17.80 ¥119

148.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.47 ¥9.80

171.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.45 ¥2.99

142.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$9.12 ¥60.9

82.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.26 ¥8.44

80.95%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

73.45%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$16.7K ¥111.4K

135.50%

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

$167 €149

$69.0 ¥461

142.74%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$6.80 ¥45.41

176.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$7.94 ¥53.0

316.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$21.31 ¥142

115.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$18.06 ¥121

6.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.41 ¥42.78

53.51%

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

$677 €602

$360 ¥2,402

88.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

-4.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$51.4 ¥343

96.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$49.43 ¥330

-7.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$94.6 ¥631

5.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$90.5 ¥604

35.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$349 ¥2,330

362.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$201 ¥1,345

494.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$754 ¥5,037

279.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$424 ¥2,832

369.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,580 ¥23.9K

111.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$2,120 ¥14.2K

103.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,231 ¥8,220

28.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.37

14.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Qingdao, Shandong

$201 25.9% 83.2% $996

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$222 28.6% 17.5% $47

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8% 65.5% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8% 61.8% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.6% 22.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Qingdao, Shandong

$34 4.4% 48% $32

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 2.9% 63.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $349 in Qingdao, Shandong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 29% 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 $18.00 in Qingdao, Shandong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $222 per month, with Qingdao, Shandong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

16:12 4:12 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

10,071,722

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Qingdao, Shandong 10,220 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Qingdao, Shandong

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

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 Qingdao, Shandong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Qingdao, Shandong differ by about 186% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $777 including rent). Qingdao, Shandong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% 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 $349 in Qingdao, Shandong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $360 in Qingdao, Shandong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $777 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qingdao, Shandong but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Qingdao, Shandong 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 Qingdao, Shandong 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 Qingdao, Shandong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.