Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quanzhou and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $815 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quanzhou and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in Quanzhou versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Quanzhou $815
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,204 in Quanzhou versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Quanzhou $1,204
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,593 in Quanzhou versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Quanzhou $1,593
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Quanzhou costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quanzhou is 40% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.70

$16.50 €14.73

-86.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.02 ¥201

$61.3 €54.7

-50.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ¥43.35

$11.27 €10.06

-42.50%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ¥21.82

$3.06 €2.73

6.54%

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

$0.96 ¥6.40

$2.26 €2.02

-57.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$1.73 €1.55

-84.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ¥19.70

$3.39 €3.03

-12.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.72

$3.40 €3.03

-48.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$1.12 €1.00

29.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ¥5.74

$1.86 €1.66

-53.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.53 €1.37

-39.22%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.27

$3.96 €3.54

-61.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 ¥51.4

$12.76 €11.39

-39.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.36

$7.90 €7.05

-70.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 ¥34.25

$16.97 €15.15

-69.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$2.27 €2.02

-35.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$1.75 €1.56

-43.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.80

$1.85 €1.65

-61.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$2.57 €2.29

-57.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.11

$1.86 €1.66

-75.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.00

$2.02 €1.81

-48.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.16 ¥1.09

$1.44 €1.29

-88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.82 €0.73

-41.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.08

$6.56 €5.86

-51.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$5.62 €5.02

36.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$1.28 €1.14

-31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$2.07 €1.85

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$2.35 €2.10

-86.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.44 ¥157

$44.18 €39.45

-46.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$3.99 €3.56

-69.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.34

$1.09 €0.97

-67.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.01 ¥60.3

$16.64 €14.86

-45.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$2.28 €2.04

-45.18%

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

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$33.7K €30.1K

-47.76%

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

$15.7K ¥104.9K

$39.3K €35.1K

-60.06%

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

$52.8 ¥353

$167 €150

-68.50%

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

$7.95 ¥53.2

$18.80 €16.78

-57.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.15 ¥81.3

$33.09 €29.55

-63.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 ¥364

$46.01 €41.09

18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.63 ¥125

$19.19 €17.14

-2.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.83 ¥38.96

$9.84 €8.79

-40.75%

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

$514 ¥3,438

$677 €605

-24.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥79.0K

$16.9K €15.1K

-30.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.64 ¥138

$101 €90.4

-79.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.07 ¥228

$45.76 €40.86

-25.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 ¥620

$100.0 €89.3

-7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ¥646

$123 €110

-21.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,851

$1,614 €1,441

-82.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,027

$1,197 €1,069

-74.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ¥3,362

$2,862 €2,555

-82.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 ¥2,743

$1,990 €1,777

-79.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,004 ¥20.1K

$7,577 €6,766

-60.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 ¥13.4K

$4,307 €3,846

-53.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$829 ¥5,545

$1,588 €1,418

-47.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.85

-18.18%

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

Last update for Quanzhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quanzhou

$303 37.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 295% $894

Groceries & Markets

Quanzhou

$137 16.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 97.1% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Quanzhou

$110 13.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 51.6% $57

Eating Out

Quanzhou

$99 12.2%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 144% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quanzhou

$73 8.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 201% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Quanzhou

$66 8.1%

Lisbon

$66 3% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Quanzhou

$28 3.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 128% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Quanzhou and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 91% 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: $30.00 in Quanzhou vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $137 vs $269 per month, with Quanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

7 h behind Quanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,128,530

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quanzhou Lisbon 11,100 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Quanzhou
Lisbon

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

Quanzhou vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quanzhou and Lisbon differ by about 173% in total monthly costs ($815 vs $2,223 including rent). Quanzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 91% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $277 in Quanzhou versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $514 in Quanzhou versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $815 in Quanzhou versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quanzhou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Quanzhou 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, Quanzhou and Lisbon 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 Quanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.