Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Xining

For one person, living is cheaper in Xining: $714 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 Xining
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Xining Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Xining

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Xining

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $714 in Xining.

Lisbon $2,202
Xining $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,130 in Xining.

Lisbon $3,274
Xining $1,130

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

Lisbon $4,346
Xining $1,545

Living in Lisbon is roughly 208% more expensive than in Xining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.82 ¥18.87

504.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$21.76 ¥145

186.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$4.77 ¥31.89

131.03%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.11 ¥20.77

0.32%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.44 ¥2.94

415.91%

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

$0.87 ¥5.80

293.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.10 ¥14.05

78.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.78 ¥11.88

-34.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.55 ¥10.39

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.91 ¥6.08

69.23%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.56 ¥10.42

160.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$12.75 ¥85.2

1.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.24 ¥21.67

143.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.02 ¥67.0

76.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.85 ¥12.40

22.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.20 ¥7.99

45.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.54 ¥10.26

22.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.09 ¥7.30

134.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.70 ¥4.70

164.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.94 ¥6.30

109.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.59 ¥3.97

145.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.55 ¥3.69

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.18 ¥21.26

111.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$10.61 ¥70.9

-46.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.75 ¥5.02

82.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.66 ¥11.13

27.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.27 ¥1.79

759.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$16.78 ¥112

164.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.40 ¥9.36

182.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.36 ¥2.38

191.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$6.50 ¥43.46

163.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.16 ¥7.76

88.79%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

74.22%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$17.1K ¥114.2K

124.04%

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

$164 €146

$45.89 ¥307

256.96%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$9.55 ¥63.9

93.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$11.58 ¥77.4

184.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$42.43 ¥284

8.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$13.68 ¥91.5

36.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.99 ¥40.04

62.77%

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

$684 €608

$329 ¥2,201

107.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$16.6K ¥111.1K

6.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$43.59 ¥291

137.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$30.36 ¥203

52.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$70.9 ¥474

40.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$70.9 ¥474

75.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$274 ¥1,831

480.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$192 ¥1,283

509.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$593 ¥3,968

380.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$356 ¥2,379

460.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,085 ¥20.6K

152.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,043 ¥13.7K

116.21%

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 Xining: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Xining

$192 26.9% 83.6% $977

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Xining

$197 27.6% 27.8% $76

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Xining

$86 12% 65.4% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Xining

$67 9.4% 68.9% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Xining

$97 13.6% 42.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Xining

$54 7.6% 16.8% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Xining

$21 3% 66.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $274 in Xining. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $22.00 in Xining for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $197 per month, with Xining cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Xining

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,333,700

💱 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 Xining 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Xining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Xining differ by about 208% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $714 including rent). Xining 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 $1,071 in Xining 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 $274 in Xining. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $329 in Xining. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Xining versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Xining but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Xining 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 Xining 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 Xining gentler on the wallet – expenses run 208% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.