Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sanya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $773 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
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Sanya Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sanya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $773 in Sanya.

Lisbon $2,206
Sanya $773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,244 in Sanya.

Lisbon $3,276
Sanya $1,244

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,716 in Sanya.

Lisbon $4,346
Sanya $1,716

Living in Lisbon is roughly 185% more expensive than in Sanya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Sanya is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$3.34 ¥22.25

404.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$22.58 ¥150

170.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$6.23 ¥41.45

76.24%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$2.12 ¥14.13

43.87%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.52 ¥3.46

338.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.39 ¥2.62

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.37 ¥9.14

151.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$1.77 ¥11.78

120.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.11 ¥14.05

-45.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.32 ¥8.81

43.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.57 ¥10.45

-4.46%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$1.61 ¥10.72

155.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$22.86 ¥152

-43.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$4.60 ¥30.60

74.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$11.89 ¥79.1

50.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.31 ¥15.38

-1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.54 ¥10.25

12.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.44 ¥16.23

-25.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.94 ¥12.93

38.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.87 ¥5.77

103.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.72 ¥4.79

169.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.52 ¥3.45

180.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.62 ¥4.14

22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$3.86 ¥25.70

72.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$7.30 ¥48.62

-22.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.93 ¥6.19

38.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.65 ¥11.00

29.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.31 ¥2.05

641.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

$18.40 ¥123

139.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.46 ¥9.72

172.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.33 ¥2.18

93.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$5.77 ¥38.44

228.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.25 ¥8.35

82.40%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$20.8K ¥138.2K

60.78%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$19.6K ¥130.6K

96.32%

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

$158 €141

$56.8 ¥378

178.45%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$6.60 ¥43.92

165.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$4.45 ¥29.66

600.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$41.91 ¥279

6.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$14.82 ¥98.7

28.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$6.53 ¥43.49

46.71%

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

$674 €600

$463 ¥3,081

45.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$22.9K ¥152.4K

-18.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$43.40 ¥289

135.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$31.94 ¥213

43.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$74.4 ¥495

37.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$80.4 ¥535

51.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$282 ¥1,876

482.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$188 ¥1,252

531.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$605 ¥4,028

366.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$375 ¥2,495

438.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

$3,234 ¥21.5K

142.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

$1,883 ¥12.5K

149.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

$911 ¥6,063

85.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.36

13.69%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sanya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sanya

$188 24.3% 84.2% $999

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Sanya

$251 32.4% 8.7% $24

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Sanya

$85 11% 65.4% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Sanya

$68 8.8% 67.2% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Sanya

$104 13.4% 38.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sanya

$55 7.1% 13.8% $8.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Sanya

$23 2.9% 62.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $282 in Sanya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 85% 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 in Lisbon vs $23 in Sanya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $251 per month, with Sanya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Sanya

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,031,396

💱 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

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Between locations

Lisbon Sanya 11,030 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Sanya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $773 in Sanya, so Sanya is about 65% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $282 in Sanya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $463 in Sanya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Sanya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.