Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $691 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Shantou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $691 in Shantou.

Lisbon $2,210
Shantou $691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,107 in Shantou.

Lisbon $3,275
Shantou $1,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,524 in Shantou.

Lisbon $4,341
Shantou $1,524

Living in Lisbon is roughly 220% more expensive than in Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Shantou is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$2.28 ¥15.17

630.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$23.55 ¥157

162.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.27 ¥35.00

115.56%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.29 ¥21.86

-9.73%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.47 ¥3.14

387.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.31 ¥2.04

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$0.93 ¥6.21

265.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.22 ¥14.78

49.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.61 ¥10.68

-27.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.47 ¥9.77

29.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.78 ¥5.17

93.59%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.70 ¥11.32

136.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.70 ¥91.0

-5.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$3.29 ¥21.86

136.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$12.93 ¥86.0

37.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.05 ¥13.63

12.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.57 ¥10.46

10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.83 ¥12.16

1.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.38 ¥9.15

87.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.85 ¥5.67

114.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.01 ¥6.71

95.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.59 ¥3.94

149.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.43 ¥2.84

67.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.77 ¥25.06

74.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$11.80 ¥78.4

-52.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.84 ¥5.55

61.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.74 ¥11.57

22.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.38 ¥2.54

513.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$24.13 ¥160

85.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.46 ¥9.71

163.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.39 ¥2.58

174.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$7.39 ¥49.13

122.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.24 ¥8.27

77.42%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$19.7K ¥130.9K

73.60%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$18.2K ¥120.8K

112.97%

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

$161 €144

$58.3 ¥388

176.44%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$9.17 ¥60.9

100.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$13.84 ¥92.0

136.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.42 ¥49.29

29.38%

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

$668 €598

$527 ¥3,505

26.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$24.3K ¥161.8K

-27.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$55.2 ¥367

84.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$40.48 ¥269

9.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$72.4 ¥481

35.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$92.9 ¥617

33.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$295 ¥1,963

444.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$148 ¥984

703.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$590 ¥3,924

376.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$301 ¥1,998

569.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,209 ¥14.7K

254.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$4,479 ¥29.8K

2.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,070 ¥7,110

47.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.35

14.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Shantou

$148 21.4% 87.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Shantou

$214 31% 21.3% $58

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Shantou

$86 12.4% 64.6% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Shantou

$81 11.8% 61.7% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Shantou

$117 17% 29.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 76.7% $49

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 54% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $295 in Shantou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 47% 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 $24 in Shantou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $214 per month, with Shantou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

14:33 2:33 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

5,389,328

💱 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 Shantou 11,100 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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $691 in Shantou, so Shantou is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $295 in Shantou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $527 in Shantou. 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 $691 in Shantou versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shantou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shantou 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 Shantou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.