Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Quzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quzhou: $701 a month against $2,202 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
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Quzhou
Learn more

Quzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Quzhou

🇨🇳 China

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Quzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $701 in Quzhou.

Lisbon $2,202
Quzhou $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,153 in Quzhou.

Lisbon $3,274
Quzhou $1,153

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,606 in Quzhou.

Lisbon $4,346
Quzhou $1,606

Living in Lisbon is roughly 214% more expensive than in Quzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Quzhou is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.21

$2.77 ¥18.45

515.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.6

$29.42 ¥196

111.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.83

$4.52 ¥30.17

143.81%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.79

$3.55 ¥23.67

-12.11%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.47 ¥3.16

382.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.29 ¥1.93

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$1.03 ¥6.88

232.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.34

$3.45 ¥23.04

8.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.74 ¥11.58

-32.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.14 ¥7.60

63.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.70 ¥4.66

120.00%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.63

$1.65 ¥10.97

146.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.53

$15.10 ¥101

-14.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$3.66 ¥24.44

115.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.75

$9.06 ¥60.4

94.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.02 ¥6.83

121.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.55 ¥10.34

12.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.49 ¥9.97

26.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.17 ¥7.83

118.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.63 ¥4.17

193.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.75 ¥5.02

162.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.70 ¥4.65

107.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.58 ¥3.87

32.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.99

$4.61 ¥30.77

45.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.06

$8.06 ¥53.7

-29.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.81 ¥5.39

69.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.43 ¥9.57

47.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.31 ¥2.08

648.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.65

$18.24 ¥122

143.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$1.74 ¥11.63

127.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.34 ¥2.29

208.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.31

$7.04 ¥46.94

143.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.31 ¥8.72

67.18%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$19.5K ¥129.9K

73.44%

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

$38.3K €34.2K

$17.8K ¥118.5K

115.34%

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

$164 €146

$51.8 ¥346

216.11%

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

$18.48 €16.49

$6.59 ¥43.99

180.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.42

$7.92 ¥52.8

316.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.93

$40.84 ¥272

12.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.67

$15.02 ¥100

24.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.70

$7.74 ¥51.6

25.97%

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

$684 €611

$415 ¥2,767

64.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$16.0K ¥106.6K

10.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.6

$62.4 ¥416

66.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.23

$26.59 ¥177

73.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €89.0

$61.6 ¥411

61.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$51.7 ¥345

141.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,418

$302 ¥2,012

426.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,043

$179 ¥1,196

552.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,544

$618 ¥4,125

360.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,779

$381 ¥2,542

423.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,955

$3,522 ¥23.5K

121.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,943

$1,905 ¥12.7K

131.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,428

$713 ¥4,759

124.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.18

21.07%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Quzhou: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Quzhou

$179 25.6% 84.7% $990

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Quzhou

$191 27.3% 29.9% $82

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Quzhou

$93 13.3% 62.3% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Quzhou

$66 9.5% 69.2% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Quzhou

$91 13% 46% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Quzhou

$56 8% 13.8% $9.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Quzhou

$23 3.3% 63.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $302 in Quzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.2 times 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 in Lisbon vs $29 in Quzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $191 per month, with Quzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Quzhou

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

00:36 12:36 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,122,661

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Quzhou 10,760 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Quzhou

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 Quzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Quzhou differ by about 214% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $701 including rent). Quzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $302 in Quzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $415 in Quzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $701 in Quzhou versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quzhou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Quzhou 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 Quzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.