Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zhongshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $695 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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 Zhongshan
Learn more

Zhongshan Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zhongshan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $695 in Zhongshan.

Lisbon $2,202
Zhongshan $695

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,110 in Zhongshan.

Lisbon $3,274
Zhongshan $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,525 in Zhongshan.

Lisbon $4,346
Zhongshan $1,525

Living in Lisbon is roughly 217% more expensive than in Zhongshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zhongshan is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$3.01 ¥20.14

466.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$24.23 ¥162

157.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$4.45 ¥29.76

147.64%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.83 ¥18.91

10.25%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.47 ¥3.11

382.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.29 ¥1.91

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.77 ¥5.13

344.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.80 ¥12.05

107.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.53 ¥10.26

-23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.64 ¥10.99

13.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.68 ¥4.56

126.47%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.24 ¥8.29

227.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$20.87 ¥140

-38.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$2.80 ¥18.72

182.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$13.54 ¥90.5

30.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.14 ¥14.34

5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.08 ¥7.20

62.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.68 ¥4.56

177.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.46 ¥9.76

75.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.58 ¥3.89

218.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.72 ¥4.84

173.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.43 ¥2.86

237.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.53 ¥3.56

45.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$2.93 ¥19.58

129.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$11.80 ¥78.9

-51.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.69 ¥4.62

98.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.81 ¥12.12

16.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.29 ¥1.91

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$15.11 ¥101

194.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.45 ¥9.68

172.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.41 ¥2.75

156.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.01 ¥46.88

144.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.30 ¥8.70

68.46%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

72.10%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$18.2K ¥121.6K

110.34%

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

$164 €146

$40.99 ¥274

299.63%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$10.15 ¥67.9

82.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$12.59 ¥84.2

161.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$67.0 ¥448

-31.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$7.62 ¥50.9

145.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.81 ¥38.88

67.81%

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

$684 €608

$317 ¥2,117

116.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$13.4K ¥89.4K

31.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$48.42 ¥324

114.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$39.64 ¥265

16.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$59.9 ¥401

66.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$75.5 ¥505

65.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$210 ¥1,407

655.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$125 ¥834

837.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$376 ¥2,517

657.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$217 ¥1,453

817.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,531 ¥16.9K

207.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,509 ¥10.1K

192.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$956 ¥6,391

67.38%

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 Zhongshan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Zhongshan

$125 17.9% 89.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Zhongshan

$226 32.5% 17.3% $47

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Zhongshan

$82 11.8% 66.9% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Zhongshan

$64 9.2% 70.4% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Zhongshan

$101 14.5% 40.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Zhongshan

$79 11.3% 20.3% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zhongshan

$20 2.8% 68.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $210 in Zhongshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 67% 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 $24.00 in Zhongshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $226 per month, with Zhongshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

08:53 8:53 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,209,600

💱 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 Zhongshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zhongshan differ by about 217% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $695 including rent). Zhongshan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% 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 $210 in Zhongshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $317 in Zhongshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $695 in Zhongshan versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zhongshan but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Zhongshan 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 Zhongshan 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 Zhongshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 217% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.