Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zhuhai

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuhai: $787 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhuhai
Learn more

Zhuhai Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Zhuhai

🇨🇳 China

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Zhuhai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $787 in Zhuhai.

Lisbon $2,206
Zhuhai $787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $1,308 in Zhuhai.

Lisbon $3,276
Zhuhai $1,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,828 in Zhuhai.

Lisbon $4,346
Zhuhai $1,828

Living in Lisbon is roughly 180% more expensive than in Zhuhai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Zhuhai is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.01

$2.74 ¥18.27

515.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$30.04 ¥200

103.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$5.23 ¥34.82

109.94%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$3.19 ¥21.22

-4.39%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.50 ¥3.34

356.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.32 ¥2.16

425.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.23 ¥8.16

179.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.16 ¥14.38

81.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.58 ¥10.49

-27.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.31 ¥8.69

44.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.14 ¥7.60

31.58%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$1.64 ¥10.89

151.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.58

$4.30 ¥28.61

202.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.16

$2.29 ¥15.22

251.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.93

$3.87 ¥25.76

362.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.31 ¥8.69

73.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.58 ¥3.83

200.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.44 ¥2.91

313.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.47 ¥9.78

82.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.73 ¥4.88

142.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.47 ¥3.11

312.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.29 ¥1.91

403.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.44 ¥2.93

72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$2.95 ¥19.63

125.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.72 ¥24.80

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.58 ¥3.88

122.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.78 ¥11.86

20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.15 ¥0.98

1433.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.19

$9.11 ¥60.7

383.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.47 ¥9.79

170.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.38 ¥2.51

68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.85

$7.24 ¥48.21

161.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.25 ¥8.32

82.40%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$15.5K ¥103.2K

115.39%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$13.6K ¥90.7K

182.56%

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

$158 €141

$57.0 ¥380

177.48%

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

$17.54 €15.62

$9.84 ¥65.5

78.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.77

$16.64 ¥111

87.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.75

$82.8 ¥551

-46.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.90

$32.05 ¥213

-40.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$7.63 ¥50.8

25.56%

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

$674 €600

$525 ¥3,493

28.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$40.3K ¥268.3K

-53.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$29.72 ¥198

243.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.87

$40.26 ¥268

14.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$73.5 ¥489

39.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$82.6 ¥550

47.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$438 ¥2,917

274.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

$283 ¥1,881

320.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,515

$905 ¥6,024

212.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,797

$655 ¥4,358

208.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,977

$4,619 ¥30.8K

69.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,186

$2,911 ¥19.4K

61.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,502

$1,072 ¥7,135

57.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

3.36

13.69%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zhuhai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Zhuhai

$283 35.9% 76.2% $905

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Zhuhai

$118 15.1% 56.9% $156

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Zhuhai

$90 11.4% 63.5% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Zhuhai

$83 10.6% 59.7% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Zhuhai

$102 12.9% 39.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Zhuhai

$98 12.5% 53.7% $34

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Zhuhai

$13 1.7% 78.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $438 in Zhuhai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 57% 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: $61 in Lisbon vs $30 in Zhuhai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $118 per month, with Zhuhai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇳 Zhuhai

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

18:06 6:06 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,207,090

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Lisbon Zhuhai 10,990 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Zhuhai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $787 in Zhuhai, so Zhuhai is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% 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: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $438 in Zhuhai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $525 in Zhuhai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Zhuhai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.