Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,029 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Zhubei City, Taiwan
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Zhubei City
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,029
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zhubei City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,029 in Zhubei City.

  • Lisbon $2,210
  • Zhubei City $1,029

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,814 in Zhubei City.

  • Lisbon $3,275
  • Zhubei City $1,814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,599 in Zhubei City.

  • Lisbon $4,341
  • Zhubei City $2,599

Living in Lisbon is roughly 115% more expensive than in Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zhubei City is 24% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.65 €14.92
$4.73 NT$154
252.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.7 €55.3
$27.28 NT$890
126.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.36 €10.18
$5.11 NT$167
122.31%
Cappuccino
$2.97 €2.66
$2.79 NT$90.8
6.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.91 NT$29.51
151.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$0.57 NT$18.62
205.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.40 €3.05
$1.86 NT$60.7
82.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.97
$2.20 NT$71.9
50.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 €1.04
$2.76 NT$90.1
-57.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.77 NT$57.8
7.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$4.50 NT$147
-66.44%
Eggs
$4.02 €3.60
$2.74 NT$89.3
46.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.94 €11.59
$24.58 NT$801
-47.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.77 €6.97
$8.13 NT$265
-4.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.76 €15.92
$24.77 NT$808
-28.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.30 €2.06
$4.08 NT$133
-43.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 €1.55
$2.44 NT$79.5
-29.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.73 NT$88.9
-31.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.59 €2.32
$3.31 NT$108
-21.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$3.05 NT$99.4
-40.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$2.02 NT$65.7
-2.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 €1.32
$1.97 NT$64.3
-25.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$1.32 NT$43.00
-45.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.58 €5.90
$3.94 NT$129
67.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €5.02
$9.10 NT$297
-38.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.41 NT$45.88
-3.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.25 NT$73.5
-4.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.09
$0.59 NT$19.18
294.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.68 €40.04
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 €3.45
$3.08 NT$101
25.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.59 NT$19.10
81.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.46 €14.75
$9.28 NT$302
77.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 €1.97
$1.02 NT$33.33
115.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$33.2K NT$1.1M
2.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K €34.7K
$24.0K NT$783.2K
61.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 €144
$98.5 NT$3,211
63.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.41 €16.50
$18.80 NT$613
-2.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.74 €29.34
$22.96 NT$749
42.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.55 €39.92
$31.27 NT$1,019
42.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.10 €17.11
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.60 €8.60
$9.95 NT$325
-3.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 €598
$642 NT$20.9K
3.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.8K
$16.5K NT$537.1K
6.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.4
$56.1 NT$1,830
81.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.46 €39.85
$30.46 NT$993
45.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.5 €88.3
$89.7 NT$2,926
9.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 €111
$98.4 NT$3,207
25.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 €1,441
$495 NT$16.1K
224.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 €1,066
$208 NT$6,773
472.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,812 €2,520
$1,060 NT$34.6K
165.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,013 €1,804
$776 NT$25.3K
159.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,839 €7,025
$15.8K NT$514.7K
-50.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,576 €4,100
$9,406 NT$306.7K
-51.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Zhubei City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,575 €1,411
$2,393 NT$78.0K
-34.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
2.4
60.42%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Zhubei City
$208 82.5% $982
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$272
Zhubei City
$392 44% $120
Eating Out
Lisbon
$243
Zhubei City
$106 56.2% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$212
Zhubei City
$140 34% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Zhubei City
$124 25.5% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Zhubei City
$51 19.7% $13
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Zhubei City
$8.4 * 86.8% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $495 in Zhubei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhubei City pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $27 in Zhubei City. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $392, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇹🇼 Zhubei City
🕒 Local time
06:13 6:13 AM
14:13 2:13 PM
8 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
211,746
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Zhubei City 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Zhubei City

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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Zhubei City?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,029 in Zhubei City, so Zhubei City is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Zhubei City?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $495 in Zhubei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Lisbon or Zhubei City?
All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,029 in Zhubei City – Zhubei City is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zhubei City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Zhubei City?
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.
Is Lisbon or Zhubei City safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Zhubei City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Lisbon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?