Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Wuwei

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuwei: $733 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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 Wuwei
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Wuwei Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Wuwei

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Wuwei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $733 in Wuwei.

Lisbon $2,202
Wuwei $733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,180 in Wuwei.

Lisbon $3,274
Wuwei $1,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,627 in Wuwei.

Lisbon $4,346
Wuwei $1,627

Living in Lisbon is roughly 201% more expensive than in Wuwei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Wuwei is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$3.08 ¥20.56

453.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.44 ¥150

177.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.22 ¥34.89

111.11%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.84 ¥18.98

9.86%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.48 ¥3.19

372.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.31 ¥2.09

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.10 ¥7.38

210.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.13 ¥14.25

75.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.87 ¥12.48

-37.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.66 ¥11.12

12.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.96 ¥6.40

60.42%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.60 ¥10.72

153.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.21 ¥88.3

-2.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.28 ¥21.94

140.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.10 ¥74.2

58.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.88 ¥12.58

20.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.33 ¥8.88

31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.56 ¥10.42

21.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.27 ¥8.47

101.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.74 ¥4.95

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.88 ¥5.91

123.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.59 ¥3.91

145.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.59 ¥3.94

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.66 ¥24.46

83.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$11.48 ¥76.8

-50.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.81 ¥5.41

69.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.62 ¥10.80

30.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.31 ¥2.10

648.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$18.18 ¥122

144.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.48 ¥9.89

166.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.32 ¥2.16

228.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$6.98 ¥46.68

145.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.24 ¥8.32

76.61%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

75.90%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$17.5K ¥117.0K

118.65%

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

$164 €146

$58.3 ¥390

181.17%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$8.80 ¥58.9

110.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$11.15 ¥74.5

195.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$41.14 ¥275

11.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$14.81 ¥99.0

26.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$6.26 ¥41.83

55.75%

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

$684 €608

$413 ¥2,758

65.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$17.3K ¥115.5K

2.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$43.42 ¥290

138.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$33.64 ¥225

37.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$75.6 ¥505

31.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$75.1 ¥502

66.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$303 ¥2,026

424.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$180 ¥1,203

549.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$619 ¥4,141

360.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$380 ¥2,544

423.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,451 ¥23.1K

125.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,938 ¥13.0K

128.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$612 ¥4,091

161.46%

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 Wuwei: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Wuwei

$180 24.6% 84.6% $989

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Wuwei

$208 28.5% 23.7% $65

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Wuwei

$87 11.9% 64.7% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Wuwei

$78 10.7% 63.7% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Wuwei

$103 14% 39.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Wuwei

$54 7.3% 17.9% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Wuwei

$23 3.1% 64.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $303 in Wuwei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 161% 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 Wuwei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $208 per month, with Wuwei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Wuwei

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,464,955

💱 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 Wuwei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Wuwei differ by about 201% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $733 including rent). Wuwei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 161% 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 $303 in Wuwei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $413 in Wuwei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $733 in Wuwei versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Wuwei but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Wuwei 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 Wuwei 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 Wuwei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 201% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.