Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Taoyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taoyuan: $1,183 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Taoyuan, Taiwan
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Taoyuan
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,183
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Taoyuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,183 in Taoyuan.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Taoyuan $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,731 in Taoyuan.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Taoyuan $1,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,278 in Taoyuan.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Taoyuan $2,278

Living in Lisbon is roughly 87% more expensive than in Taoyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Taoyuan is 13% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.91
$4.13 NT$135
303.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$24.84 NT$810
148.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.17
$5.46 NT$178
108.06%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$3.00 NT$97.8
-1.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.00 NT$32.66
129.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.69 NT$22.65
152.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$1.81 NT$58.9
87.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$2.25 NT$73.3
47.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$2.76 NT$89.9
-57.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.16 NT$37.73
64.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.35
$2.58 NT$84.0
-41.47%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$2.14 NT$69.9
87.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$8.84 NT$288
46.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.96
$7.14 NT$233
8.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.91
$21.23 NT$692
-16.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$3.77 NT$123
-38.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$1.94 NT$63.3
-10.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$3.05 NT$99.4
-39.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$3.05 NT$99.5
-15.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$2.44 NT$79.5
-25.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.91 NT$62.2
3.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$2.29 NT$74.6
-35.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.87 NT$28.21
-17.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$4.85 NT$158
35.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$10.78 NT$351
-47.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.48 NT$48.27
-8.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.03 NT$66.3
5.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.52 NT$17.07
348.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.01
$37.11 NT$1,210
20.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$2.83 NT$92.3
36.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.81 NT$26.32
32.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.74
$6.89 NT$225
138.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$0.95 NT$31.03
131.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$36.5K NT$1.2M
-6.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$23.0K NT$748.9K
68.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$66.9 NT$2,180
141.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.49
$17.45 NT$569
5.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.32
$21.84 NT$712
49.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.90
$30.19 NT$984
47.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.10
$7.09 NT$231
169.39%
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$10.80 NT$352
-11.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$521 NT$17.0K
28.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$31.3K NT$1.0M
-43.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$88.0 NT$2,871
15.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.82
$24.36 NT$794
82.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.2
$83.0 NT$2,707
18.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$96.0 NT$3,129
28.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,440
$641 NT$20.9K
150.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$437 NT$14.2K
172.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,519
$777 NT$25.3K
262.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,803
$610 NT$19.9K
230.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,021
$6,226 NT$203.0K
25.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,098
$4,079 NT$133.0K
12.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Taoyuan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$1,507 NT$49.1K
4.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
2.38
61.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Taoyuan
$437 63.3% $753
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Taoyuan
$306 12.2% $33
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Taoyuan
$106 56.4% $137
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Taoyuan
$106 50% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Taoyuan
$131 21% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Taoyuan
$52 18.8% $12
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Taoyuan
$46 27.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $641 in Taoyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 5% 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 $25 in Taoyuan. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $306, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇼 Taoyuan
🕒 Local time
19:38 7:38 PM
03:38 3:38 AM
8 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
2,147,763
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Taoyuan 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Taoyuan

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 Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Taoyuan?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,183 in Taoyuan, so Taoyuan is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Taoyuan?
Average pay runs 5% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Taoyuan?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $641 in Taoyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Taoyuan?
Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $521 in Taoyuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taoyuan is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Taoyuan?
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.
Is Lisbon or Taoyuan safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Taoyuan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Taoyuan?
It comes down to priorities – Taoyuan wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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