Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Shaoxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $751 a month against $2,202 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
Learn more

Shaoxing Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Shaoxing

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $751 in Shaoxing.

Lisbon $2,202
Shaoxing $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,204 in Shaoxing.

Lisbon $3,274
Shaoxing $1,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,657 in Shaoxing.

Lisbon $4,346
Shaoxing $1,657

Living in Lisbon is roughly 193% more expensive than in Shaoxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Shaoxing is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.21

$3.72 ¥24.81

358.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.6

$22.22 ¥148

180.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.83

$5.31 ¥35.43

107.53%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.79

$2.58 ¥17.20

20.93%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.62 ¥4.15

266.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.36 ¥2.38

383.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$1.15 ¥7.66

197.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.34

$2.19 ¥14.64

70.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.80 ¥11.97

-35.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.96 ¥13.05

-5.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.75 ¥4.99

105.33%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.63

$1.73 ¥11.55

134.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.53

$11.67 ¥77.8

10.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$3.31 ¥22.05

138.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.75

$10.59 ¥70.6

66.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.78 ¥11.90

26.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.72 ¥11.50

1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.72 ¥11.46

9.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.09 ¥7.28

134.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.83 ¥5.51

122.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.91 ¥6.07

116.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.65 ¥4.36

123.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.58 ¥3.87

32.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.99

$3.44 ¥22.92

95.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.06

$10.61 ¥70.8

-46.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.77 ¥5.13

77.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.62 ¥10.81

30.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.23 ¥1.54

908.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.65

$19.86 ¥133

123.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$1.99 ¥13.25

98.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.43 ¥2.87

144.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.31

$9.04 ¥60.3

89.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.34 ¥8.93

63.43%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$19.5K ¥129.8K

73.61%

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

$38.3K €34.2K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

112.06%

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

$164 €146

$47.33 ¥316

246.10%

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

$18.48 €16.49

$7.90 ¥52.7

133.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.42

$9.14 ¥61.0

260.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.93

$15.57 ¥104

194.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.67

$6.79 ¥45.32

175.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.70

$6.82 ¥45.51

42.96%

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

$684 €611

$844 ¥5,630

-18.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$24.9K ¥166.3K

-29.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.6

$40.55 ¥270

155.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.23

$31.99 ¥213

44.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €89.0

$76.9 ¥513

29.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$106 ¥708

17.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,418

$434 ¥2,898

265.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,043

$222 ¥1,484

425.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,544

$596 ¥3,977

378.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,779

$450 ¥3,000

343.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,955

$6,407 ¥42.7K

21.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,943

$3,558 ¥23.7K

24.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,428

$901 ¥6,009

77.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.36

14.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shaoxing: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Shaoxing

$222 29.6% 81% $947

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Shaoxing

$205 27.2% 25.1% $69

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Shaoxing

$91 12.1% 63.4% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Shaoxing

$64 8.6% 70.1% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Shaoxing

$115 15.3% 31.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Shaoxing

$29 3.9% 55.3% $36

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Shaoxing

$25 3.3% 60.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $434 in Shaoxing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 78% 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 $22 in Shaoxing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $205 per month, with Shaoxing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

4,912,239

💱 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 Shaoxing 10,770 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Shaoxing

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 Shaoxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Shaoxing differ by about 193% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $751 including rent). Shaoxing is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $434 in Shaoxing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $844 in Shaoxing. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $751 in Shaoxing versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shaoxing but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.