Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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 Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zhangjiagang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $740 in Zhangjiagang.

Lisbon $2,223
Zhangjiagang $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,149 in Zhangjiagang.

Lisbon $3,271
Zhangjiagang $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,558 in Zhangjiagang.

Lisbon $4,319
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Living in Lisbon is roughly 200% more expensive than in Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Zhangjiagang is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.80 ¥25.42

334.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$22.20 ¥148

175.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.98 ¥33.31

126.31%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.04 ¥20.32

0.66%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.49 ¥3.29

361.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.27 ¥1.81

540.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.51 ¥10.09

124.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.22 ¥14.84

53.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.08 ¥13.89

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.09 ¥13.95

-11.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.84 ¥5.64

82.14%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$1.36 ¥9.09

191.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.64 ¥71.1

19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$2.93 ¥19.59

169.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.12 ¥61.0

86.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.04 ¥13.65

11.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.29 ¥8.64

35.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.80 ¥12.03

2.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.11 ¥7.39

131.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.90 ¥5.99

106.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.90 ¥6.03

124.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.87 ¥5.80

65.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.53 ¥3.51

54.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.64 ¥24.37

80.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$13.44 ¥89.9

-58.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.94 ¥6.27

36.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.56 ¥10.44

32.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.30 ¥1.99

683.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$17.58 ¥118

151.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.76 ¥11.78

126.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.39 ¥2.60

179.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$8.76 ¥58.6

89.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.37 ¥9.14

66.42%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

75.61%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$16.9K ¥112.7K

133.12%

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

$167 €149

$55.8 ¥373

200.43%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$7.76 ¥51.9

142.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$7.32 ¥48.97

352.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$36.15 ¥242

27.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$16.01 ¥107

19.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$6.07 ¥40.60

62.11%

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

$677 €602

$418 ¥2,793

62.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$22.3K ¥149.4K

-24.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$42.99 ¥287

135.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$34.04 ¥228

34.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$65.7 ¥439

52.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$88.5 ¥591

38.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$280 ¥1,869

477.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$194 ¥1,295

518.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$719 ¥4,808

297.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$324 ¥2,167

513.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$3,266 ¥21.8K

132.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,685 ¥11.3K

155.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.42

12.57%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 83.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 24.3% $65

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 60% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 67.7% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 37.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 26.5% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 64.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $22.00 in Zhangjiagang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $204 per month, with Zhangjiagang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,432,044

💱 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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zhangjiagang differ by about 200% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $740 including rent). Zhangjiagang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $418 in Zhangjiagang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiagang but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 200% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.