Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Suzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $889 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Suzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $889 in Suzhou.

Lisbon $2,210
Suzhou $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,471 in Suzhou.

Lisbon $3,275
Suzhou $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,053 in Suzhou.

Lisbon $4,341
Suzhou $2,053

Living in Lisbon is roughly 149% more expensive than in Suzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Suzhou is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$4.12 ¥27.43

304.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$30.26 ¥201

104.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$5.21 ¥34.66

118.04%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.39 ¥22.58

-12.39%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.69 ¥4.56

231.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.42 ¥2.76

314.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.29 ¥15.25

48.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.37 ¥29.05

-24.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.92 ¥12.75

-39.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.96 ¥13.02

-2.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.30 ¥8.62

16.15%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.81 ¥12.05

122.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$17.95 ¥119

-27.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$3.39 ¥22.54

129.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$8.74 ¥58.2

103.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.98 ¥13.18

16.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.24 ¥8.25

39.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.35 ¥8.98

37.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.44 ¥9.56

79.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.64 ¥4.29

184.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.19 ¥7.91

65.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.85 ¥5.63

72.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.56 ¥3.71

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.47 ¥29.76

47.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$8.86 ¥59.0

-36.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.07 ¥7.10

27.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.14 ¥14.21

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.31 ¥2.06

651.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$44.83 ¥298

-0.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.70 ¥11.32

126.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.36 ¥2.39

197.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$10.01 ¥66.6

64.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.34 ¥8.91

64.18%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$19.5K ¥129.5K

75.66%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$18.0K ¥119.9K

114.95%

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

$161 €144

$99.9 ¥665

61.38%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$12.89 ¥85.8

42.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$11.35 ¥75.5

188.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$34.10 ¥227

30.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$19.04 ¥127

0.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.90 ¥39.28

62.71%

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

$668 €598

$1,237 ¥8,229

-46.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$21.4K ¥142.7K

-17.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$51.4 ¥342

98.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$41.03 ¥273

8.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$83.9 ¥558

17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$86.7 ¥577

42.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$388 ¥2,584

314.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$217 ¥1,445

448.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,019 ¥6,782

175.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$560 ¥3,728

259.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$4,826 ¥32.1K

62.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,609 ¥17.4K

75.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,367 ¥9,098

15.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.53

9.07%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Suzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Suzhou

$217 24.4% 81.8% $973

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Suzhou

$220 24.7% 19.3% $53

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Suzhou

$114 12.8% 53% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Suzhou

$124 14% 41.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Suzhou

$118 13.3% 28.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Suzhou

$46 5.2% 28% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Suzhou

$50 5.6% 21.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $388 in Suzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 15% 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 $30 in Suzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $220 per month, with Suzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

15:31 3:31 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

12,748,262

💱 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 Suzhou 10,650 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 Suzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $889 in Suzhou, so Suzhou is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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 $388 in Suzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $889 in Suzhou – Suzhou is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $889 in Suzhou versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou 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.

It comes down to priorities – Suzhou wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.