Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portugal and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,718 in Portugal, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,718

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portugal and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Portugal and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Portugal versus $800 in China.

Portugal $1,718
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,538 in Portugal versus $1,266 in China.

Portugal $2,538
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,357 in Portugal versus $1,731 in China.

Portugal $3,357
China $1,731

Internal cost variation is higher in Portugal: monthly costs span $1,024 to $2,202, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Portugal.

Living in Portugal is roughly 115% more expensive than in China on average.

Portugal (27% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.08

$2.92 ¥19.50

365.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.3 €45.64

$22.45 ¥150

128.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 €9.15

$5.33 ¥35.65

92.87%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.86

$3.04 ¥20.34

-31.25%

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

$2.00 €1.78

$0.48 ¥3.23

316.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.30 ¥2.02

363.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.07 ¥7.12

166.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.97

$2.26 ¥15.11

47.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.75 ¥11.70

-37.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.62 ¥10.80

-3.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 €1.39

$0.99 ¥6.63

58.59%

Eggs

$3.37 €3.00

$1.56 ¥10.44

116.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 €10.36

$13.25 ¥88.6

-12.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.32 €6.51

$3.37 ¥22.50

117.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 €13.13

$11.39 ¥76.2

29.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.82 ¥12.19

24.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.25 ¥8.34

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.55 ¥10.39

14.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.28 ¥8.55

95.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.71 ¥4.72

140.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.86 ¥5.75

120.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.65 ¥4.36

121.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.59 ¥3.97

28.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.54

$3.76 ¥25.14

65.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 €5.03

$11.76 ¥78.6

-51.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.91 ¥6.11

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.62 ¥10.86

41.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.31 ¥2.10

635.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.60 €40.56

$22.75 ¥152

100.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.52 ¥10.17

159.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.37 ¥2.50

186.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 €14.82

$7.28 ¥48.66

128.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.25 ¥8.38

67.20%

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

$34.0K €30.2K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

75.16%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

117.91%

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

$138 €123

$55.5 ¥371

149.25%

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

$19.67 €17.50

$8.29 ¥55.4

137.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.62 €36.13

$10.97 ¥73.3

270.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.48 €36.90

$40.38 ¥270

2.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 €14.18

$14.76 ¥98.7

8.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 €7.77

$6.76 ¥45.18

29.14%

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

$496 €441

$465 ¥3,108

6.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-40.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.7

$46.32 ¥310

93.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.35 €35.00

$36.30 ¥243

8.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 €78.5

$76.3 ¥510

15.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 €88.1

$78.8 ¥527

25.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €904

$396 ¥2,646

156.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 €718

$240 ¥1,604

236.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 €1,557

$822 ¥5,499

112.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 €1,165

$466 ¥3,116

181.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,897 €3,466

$4,544 ¥30.4K

-14.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,848 €2,533

$2,282 ¥15.3K

24.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,290 €1,148

$1,075 ¥7,188

20.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.46

7.80%

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

Last update for Portugal: October 19, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portugal

$807 47%

China

$240 30% 70.3% $568

Groceries & Markets

Portugal

$248 14.4%

China

$209 26.1% 15.8% $39

Eating Out

Portugal

$199 11.6%

China

$89 11.1% 55.4% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portugal

$199 11.6%

China

$75 9.3% 62.4% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Portugal

$142 8.3%

China

$107 13.4% 24.8% $35

Getting Around

Portugal

$64 3.7%

China

$27 3.4% 57.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Portugal

$59 3.4%

China

$54 6.7% 8.6% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $960 in Portugal, $299 in China. Capital cities: $1,589 in Lisbon vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,290 in Portugal, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 221% higher in Portugal.

Dining out costs 129% more in Portugal.

Public transport is 124% more expensive in Portugal.

Salaries are 48% higher in Portugal, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portugal

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

20:31 8:31 PM

7 h ahead of Portugal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,347,892

1,442,965,000

💱 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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Between locations

Portugal China 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Portugal
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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

Portugal vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,718 in Portugal, there's a 115% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $960 in Portugal and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Portugal it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Portugal may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.