Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Xi'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Xi'an: $735 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
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Xi'an Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Xi'an

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $735 in Xi'an.

Lisbon $2,223
Xi'an $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,141 in Xi'an.

Lisbon $3,271
Xi'an $1,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,547 in Xi'an.

Lisbon $4,319
Xi'an $1,547

Living in Lisbon is roughly 202% more expensive than in Xi'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Xi'an is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.75 ¥18.41

500.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$17.75 ¥119

245.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.45 ¥29.76

153.26%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.12 ¥14.15

44.34%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.44 ¥2.92

413.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.29 ¥1.94

496.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.46 ¥9.79

132.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.45 ¥9.73

134.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.43 ¥9.53

-21.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.76 ¥11.74

5.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.91 ¥6.06

68.13%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.49 ¥9.94

165.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$11.57 ¥77.4

10.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$3.97 ¥26.53

98.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$10.37 ¥69.3

63.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.62 ¥10.84

40.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.14 ¥7.64

53.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.23 ¥8.21

50.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.32 ¥8.84

94.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.64 ¥4.27

190.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.69 ¥4.62

192.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.58 ¥3.88

148.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.59 ¥3.91

38.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.34 ¥22.36

96.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$9.75 ¥65.2

-42.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.76 ¥5.05

68.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.70 ¥11.35

21.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.29 ¥1.93

710.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$26.16 ¥175

68.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.30 ¥8.69

206.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.29 ¥1.92

275.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$4.44 ¥29.69

274.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.30 ¥8.70

75.38%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.5K ¥130.6K

72.37%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

119.22%

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

$167 €149

$90.1 ¥603

85.85%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$6.23 ¥41.63

201.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$10.79 ¥72.1

206.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$29.47 ¥197

56.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$21.25 ¥142

-9.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$5.98 ¥39.96

64.55%

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

$677 €602

$701 ¥4,684

-3.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$17.3K ¥115.4K

-1.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$39.41 ¥263

156.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$37.49 ¥251

22.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$75.4 ¥504

32.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$92.5 ¥618

32.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$313 ¥2,093

415.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$180 ¥1,202

565.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$863 ¥5,772

231.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$346 ¥2,314

474.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,368 ¥15.8K

219.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,638 ¥11.0K

162.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,089 ¥7,281

45.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.35

14.93%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Xi'an: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Xi'an

$180 24.5% 85% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Xi'an

$193 26.2% 28.4% $77

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Xi'an

$74 10.1% 69.5% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Xi'an

$107 14.6% 51.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Xi'an

$110 15% 33.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Xi'an

$41 5.6% 36.9% $24

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Xi'an

$30 4.1% 52.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $313 in Xi'an. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 46% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $18.00 in Xi'an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $193 per month, with Xi'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

12,183,280

💱 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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Between locations

Lisbon Xi'an 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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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 Xi'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Xi'an differ by about 202% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $735 including rent). Xi'an is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $313 in Xi'an. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $701 in Xi'an. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $735 in Xi'an versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xi'an but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Xi'an 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 Xi'an 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 Xi'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.