Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zhenjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhenjiang: $702 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhenjiang
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Zhenjiang Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Zhenjiang

🇨🇳 China

$702

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zhenjiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $702 in Zhenjiang.

Lisbon $2,202
Zhenjiang $702

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,190 in Zhenjiang.

Lisbon $3,274
Zhenjiang $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,677 in Zhenjiang.

Lisbon $4,346
Zhenjiang $1,677

Living in Lisbon is roughly 214% more expensive than in Zhenjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zhenjiang is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$3.05 ¥20.36

458.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$30.20 ¥202

106.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$4.53 ¥30.29

143.27%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.64 ¥17.63

18.18%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.63 ¥4.18

260.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.38 ¥2.57

357.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.22 ¥8.13

180.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.21 ¥14.81

69.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.86 ¥12.44

-37.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.47 ¥9.80

26.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.88 ¥5.89

75.00%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.68 ¥11.23

141.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$14.06 ¥94.0

-8.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.02 ¥20.21

161.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$13.02 ¥87.0

35.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.81 ¥12.07

24.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.66 ¥11.10

5.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.83 ¥12.21

3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.66 ¥11.08

54.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.75 ¥5.04

146.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.00 ¥6.69

97.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.43 ¥2.90

237.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.62 ¥4.13

24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$3.78 ¥25.24

77.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$11.00 ¥73.6

-48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.83 ¥5.56

65.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.63 ¥10.87

29.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.16 ¥1.08

1350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$7.64 ¥51.1

481.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.51 ¥10.12

161.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.43 ¥2.89

144.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$4.41 ¥29.50

288.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.22 ¥8.17

79.51%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

87.62%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$18.3K ¥122.2K

109.43%

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

$164 €146

$58.4 ¥390

180.50%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$7.82 ¥52.3

136.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$7.53 ¥50.3

337.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$45.05 ¥301

1.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$29.54 ¥198

-36.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.02 ¥60.3

8.09%

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

$684 €608

$454 ¥3,039

50.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$27.8K ¥185.6K

-36.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$44.72 ¥299

131.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$29.79 ¥199

55.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$68.5 ¥458

45.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$80.8 ¥541

54.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$223 ¥1,492

612.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$151 ¥1,012

672.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$531 ¥3,549

437.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$370 ¥2,474

438.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,017 ¥13.5K

286.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$906 ¥6,061

387.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$947 ¥6,329

69.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.36

14.58%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zhenjiang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Zhenjiang

$151 21.6% 87.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Zhenjiang

$217 31% 20.4% $56

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Zhenjiang

$84 12% 66% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Zhenjiang

$74 10.5% 65.7% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Zhenjiang

$101 14.3% 40.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Zhenjiang

$63 9% 3.5% $2.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zhenjiang

$12 1.7% 81% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $223 in Zhenjiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 69% 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 $30.00 in Zhenjiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $217 per month, with Zhenjiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Zhenjiang

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

02:49 2:49 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,210,418

💱 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 Zhenjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zhenjiang differ by about 214% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $702 including rent). Zhenjiang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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 $223 in Zhenjiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $454 in Zhenjiang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $702 in Zhenjiang versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhenjiang but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zhenjiang 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 Zhenjiang 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 Zhenjiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 214% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.