Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Xianyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Xianyang: $617 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
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Xianyang Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Xianyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $617 in Xianyang.

Lisbon $2,202
Xianyang $617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $995 in Xianyang.

Lisbon $3,274
Xianyang $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,373 in Xianyang.

Lisbon $4,346
Xianyang $1,373

Living in Lisbon is roughly 257% more expensive than in Xianyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Xianyang is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.25 ¥15.06

657.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$17.21 ¥115

261.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$4.46 ¥29.81

147.09%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.08 ¥13.93

50.00%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.39 ¥2.58

482.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.27 ¥1.80

544.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.77 ¥5.17

344.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.45 ¥9.71

157.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.44 ¥9.61

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.07 ¥7.13

73.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.78 ¥5.22

97.44%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.41 ¥9.45

187.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$9.57 ¥64.0

34.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$1.81 ¥12.13

336.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$7.38 ¥49.37

139.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.22 ¥8.18

85.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.03 ¥6.86

69.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.25 ¥8.36

51.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$0.63 ¥4.19

306.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.43 ¥2.89

330.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.59 ¥3.92

233.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.63 ¥4.20

130.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.59 ¥3.95

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.07 ¥20.52

118.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.32 ¥48.97

-22.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.44 ¥2.92

211.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.76 ¥11.78

19.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.29 ¥1.92

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$17.65 ¥118

151.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.29 ¥8.62

206.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.29 ¥1.91

262.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$4.53 ¥30.31

278.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.20 ¥8.05

82.50%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.5K ¥130.5K

73.13%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$11.9K ¥79.6K

221.38%

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

$164 €146

$36.81 ¥246

345.01%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$6.37 ¥42.62

190.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$10.61 ¥70.9

210.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$42.47 ¥284

8.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$15.22 ¥102

22.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.88 ¥39.33

65.82%

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

$684 €608

$333 ¥2,229

105.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$15.1K ¥101.1K

16.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$38.65 ¥258

168.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$37.53 ¥251

23.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$75.6 ¥506

31.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$60.1 ¥402

107.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$297 ¥1,988

434.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$180 ¥1,203

549.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$618 ¥4,130

361.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$381 ¥2,547

423.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,456 ¥23.1K

125.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$753 ¥5,033

486.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$598 ¥3,999

167.49%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Xianyang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Xianyang

$180 29.1% 84.6% $989

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Xianyang

$147 23.8% 46.3% $126

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Xianyang

$66 10.7% 73.4% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 75% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Xianyang

$95 15.5% 43.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Xianyang

$54 8.8% 17% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Xianyang

$22 3.5% 65.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $297 in Xianyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 167% 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 $17.00 in Xianyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $147 per month, with Xianyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

21:18 9:18 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,324,612

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Xianyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Xianyang differ by about 257% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $617 including rent). Xianyang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 167% 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 $297 in Xianyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $333 in Xianyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $617 in Xianyang versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xianyang but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Xianyang 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 Xianyang 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 Xianyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 257% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.