Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $707 a month against $2,223 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Lisbon $2,223
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $707

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,185 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Lisbon $3,271
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,663 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Lisbon $4,319
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,663

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.73

$3.83 ¥25.64

330.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.7

$26.02 ¥174

135.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.06

$4.57 ¥30.58

146.61%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.73

$3.17 ¥21.21

-3.47%

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

$2.26 €2.02

$0.48 ¥3.23

370.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.31 ¥2.04

458.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.03

$0.93 ¥6.22

264.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.03

$1.47 ¥9.80

131.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.79 ¥11.98

-37.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.18 ¥7.91

57.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.87 ¥5.85

75.86%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$2.07 ¥13.85

91.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.39

$19.53 ¥131

-34.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.05

$3.69 ¥24.70

114.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.15

$6.16 ¥41.17

175.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.33 ¥15.56

-2.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.38 ¥9.25

26.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.47 ¥9.81

25.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.31 ¥8.74

96.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.87 ¥5.79

113.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.86 ¥5.77

134.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.62 ¥4.18

132.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.54 ¥3.60

51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.86

$3.57 ¥23.90

83.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.02

$13.36 ¥89.3

-57.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.75 ¥5.01

70.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.45 ¥9.68

42.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.10

$0.31 ¥2.08

658.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.45

$19.88 ¥133

122.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.56

$1.97 ¥13.20

102.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.38 ¥2.55

186.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.86

$7.03 ¥47.00

136.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.21 ¥8.12

88.43%

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

$33.7K €30.1K

$18.1K ¥121.2K

85.78%

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

$39.3K €35.1K

$17.9K ¥119.7K

119.49%

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

$167 €150

$18.76 ¥125

792.80%

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

$18.80 €16.78

$10.11 ¥67.6

85.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.55

$11.07 ¥74.0

198.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.09

$60.8 ¥407

-24.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.14

$16.34 ¥109

17.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.79

$7.45 ¥49.80

32.08%

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

$677 €605

$301 ¥2,015

124.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

-4.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.4

$45.01 ¥301

124.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.86

$41.36 ¥277

10.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €89.3

$60.5 ¥404

65.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$58.6 ¥392

109.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,441

$256 ¥1,715

529.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,069

$165 ¥1,105

624.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,555

$631 ¥4,217

353.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,777

$379 ¥2,535

425.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,766

$2,912 ¥19.5K

160.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,846

$1,953 ¥13.1K

120.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,418

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.5

10.00%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$165 23.4% 86.2% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5% 19.8% $53

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.2% 61.5% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.7% 81.8% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13.1% 44.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$76 10.7% 15.3% $10

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$25 3.5% 60.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $216 per month, with Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

12:10 12:10 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

831,113

💱 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu differ by about 214% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $707 including rent). Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $1,061 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $301 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 214% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.