Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tonghua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $632 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
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Tonghua Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tonghua

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $632 in Tonghua.

Lisbon $2,202
Tonghua $632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,034 in Tonghua.

Lisbon $3,274
Tonghua $1,034

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,436 in Tonghua.

Lisbon $4,346
Tonghua $1,436

Living in Lisbon is roughly 249% more expensive than in Tonghua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Tonghua is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.20 ¥14.74

674.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.19 ¥148

180.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.09 ¥34.01

116.50%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.25 ¥15.07

38.67%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.47 ¥3.15

382.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.35 ¥2.35

397.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.79 ¥5.25

332.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.85 ¥12.38

102.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.68 ¥11.23

-30.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.14 ¥14.32

-13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.07 ¥7.16

43.93%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.06 ¥7.09

283.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.11 ¥87.6

-1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$2.94 ¥19.66

168.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$6.54 ¥43.73

169.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$0.99 ¥6.60

128.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.08 ¥7.21

62.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.81 ¥5.41

133.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.08 ¥7.23

137.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.92 ¥6.17

101.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.02 ¥6.85

93.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.59 ¥3.94

145.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.69 ¥4.60

11.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.64 ¥24.33

84.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$11.75 ¥78.5

-51.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.65 ¥4.33

110.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.10 ¥7.38

91.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.31 ¥2.07

648.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$17.92 ¥120

147.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.92 ¥6.14

329.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.38 ¥2.56

176.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$3.07 ¥20.51

458.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.31 ¥8.74

67.18%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.3K ¥129.1K

75.00%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$17.0K ¥114.0K

124.47%

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

$164 €146

$23.25 ¥155

604.56%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$5.85 ¥39.12

215.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$8.98 ¥60.1

267.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.90 ¥280

9.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$15.09 ¥101

23.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.89 ¥39.36

65.53%

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

$684 €608

$294 ¥1,969

132.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$15.0K ¥100.6K

17.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$22.05 ¥147

370.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$34.01 ¥227

35.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$58.8 ¥393

69.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$69.4 ¥464

79.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$294 ¥1,965

440.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$179 ¥1,199

551.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$639 ¥4,273

346.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$375 ¥2,509

431.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,528 ¥23.6K

120.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,980 ¥13.2K

123.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$501 ¥3,350

219.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-3.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tonghua: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Tonghua

$179 28.4% 84.7% $990

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Tonghua

$185 29.3% 32.3% $88

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Tonghua

$71 11.2% 71.4% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Tonghua

$38 6% 82.3% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Tonghua

$83 13.1% 50.8% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Tonghua

$54 8.5% 17.9% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Tonghua

$22 3.5% 65.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $294 in Tonghua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 219% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $22.00 in Tonghua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $185 per month, with Tonghua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

23:15 11:15 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

446,917

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Tonghua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Tonghua differ by about 249% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $632 including rent). Tonghua is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 219% 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 $294 in Tonghua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $294 in Tonghua. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $632 in Tonghua versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tonghua but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tonghua 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 Tonghua 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 Tonghua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 249% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.