Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Xiangtan

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiangtan: $712 a month against $2,202 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Xiangtan
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Xiangtan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Xiangtan

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Xiangtan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $712 in Xiangtan.

Lisbon $2,202
Xiangtan $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,129 in Xiangtan.

Lisbon $3,274
Xiangtan $1,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,545 in Xiangtan.

Lisbon $4,346
Xiangtan $1,545

Living in Lisbon is roughly 209% more expensive than in Xiangtan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Xiangtan is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.86 ¥19.12

495.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$21.25 ¥142

193.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$4.88 ¥32.65

125.82%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.06 ¥20.45

1.96%

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

$0.29 ¥1.95

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.89 ¥5.95

284.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.11 ¥14.11

77.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.79 ¥11.97

-34.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.60 ¥10.69

16.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.96 ¥6.41

60.42%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.58 ¥10.58

156.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$12.70 ¥84.9

1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.23 ¥21.59

144.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.16 ¥67.9

73.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.88 ¥12.55

20.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.24 ¥8.30

41.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.47 ¥9.81

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.09 ¥7.31

134.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.75 ¥4.99

146.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.96 ¥6.44

105.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.56 ¥3.77

158.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.51 ¥3.42

50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.11 ¥20.81

115.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.70 ¥71.6

-47.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.81 ¥5.39

69.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.61 ¥10.75

31.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.29 ¥1.96

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$16.50 ¥110

169.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.37 ¥9.13

188.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.33 ¥2.18

218.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$6.88 ¥45.99

149.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.12 ¥7.46

95.54%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.6K ¥130.8K

72.74%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$17.5K ¥116.9K

118.84%

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

$164 €146

$44.90 ¥300

264.83%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$9.67 ¥64.6

91.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$11.88 ¥79.4

177.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$42.26 ¥283

8.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$13.80 ¥92.3

35.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.96 ¥39.84

63.59%

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

$684 €608

$334 ¥2,236

104.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

6.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$43.59 ¥291

137.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$30.74 ¥206

50.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$70.5 ¥472

41.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$71.5 ¥478

74.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$277 ¥1,853

473.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$189 ¥1,264

518.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$592 ¥3,960

381.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$356 ¥2,380

459.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,063 ¥20.5K

154.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,990 ¥13.3K

122.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.89

-1.03%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Xiangtan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Xiangtan

$189 26.6% 83.8% $980

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Xiangtan

$198 27.9% 27.4% $75

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Xiangtan

$86 12.1% 65.3% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Xiangtan

$66 9.3% 69.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Xiangtan

$97 13.7% 42.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Xiangtan

$54 7.6% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Xiangtan

$21 2.9% 67.1% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $277 in Xiangtan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $21.00 in Xiangtan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $198 per month, with Xiangtan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Xiangtan

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,748,552

💱 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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Lisbon Xiangtan 10,480 km ≈ 14 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 Xiangtan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Xiangtan differ by about 209% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $712 including rent). Xiangtan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,302 in Lisbon and $1,068 in Xiangtan 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $277 in Xiangtan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $334 in Xiangtan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $712 in Xiangtan versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Xiangtan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Xiangtan 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 Xiangtan 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 Xiangtan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.