Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenyang and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $708 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenyang 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 Shenyang and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $708 in Shenyang versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Shenyang $708
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Shenyang versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Shenyang $1,046
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,384 in Shenyang versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Shenyang $1,384
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Shenyang costs roughly 68% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shenyang is 48% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 ¥19.75

$16.65 €14.95

-82.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.45 ¥149

$61.7 €55.5

-63.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥35.94

$11.36 €10.20

-52.46%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.67

$2.97 €2.67

-15.82%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$2.29 €2.06

-79.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.57

$1.74 €1.56

-77.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$3.40 €3.06

-74.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.55

$3.31 €2.97

-42.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.16 €1.04

72.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.82

$1.91 €1.72

24.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$1.51 €1.36

-28.48%

Eggs

$1.07 ¥7.10

$4.02 €3.61

-73.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 ¥79.4

$17.76 €15.95

-32.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.92

$2.30 €2.07

-22.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.76

$1.73 €1.56

-32.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.77

$2.59 €2.33

-43.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.47 €1.32

-57.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.29

$0.72 €0.65

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.56

$6.58 €5.91

-43.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.70 ¥111

$5.61 €5.04

197.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥4.54

$1.36 €1.22

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ¥7.53

$2.14 €1.92

-47.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.33 €2.10

-87.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.87 ¥99.0

$44.68 €40.14

-66.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.16

$3.85 €3.46

-64.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.07 €0.96

-71.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 ¥20.34

$16.46 €14.79

-81.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.65

$2.20 €1.98

-40.91%

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

$19.4K ¥128.9K

$34.2K €30.7K

-43.34%

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

$17.5K ¥116.1K

$38.7K €34.8K

-54.93%

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

$76.2 ¥507

$161 €145

-52.75%

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

$15.50 ¥103

$18.41 €16.54

-15.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.86 ¥98.9

$32.74 €29.41

-54.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.51 ¥150

$44.55 €40.02

-49.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.68 ¥71.1

$19.10 €17.16

-44.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ¥39.10

$9.60 €8.62

-38.75%

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

$549 ¥3,655

$668 €600

-17.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ¥145.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

24.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.33 ¥282

$102 €91.6

-58.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥405

$98.5 €88.5

-38.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ¥467

$124 €111

-43.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ¥1,501

$1,608 €1,445

-85.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 ¥1,516

$1,190 €1,069

-80.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 ¥3,583

$2,812 €2,526

-80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 ¥2,290

$2,013 €1,808

-82.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,814 ¥12.1K

$7,839 €7,042

-76.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 ¥7,333

$4,576 €4,110

-75.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,082 ¥7,201

$1,575 €1,415

-31.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

3.85

13.51%

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

Last update for Shenyang: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenyang

$228 32.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 422% $962

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$161 * 22.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 69.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$107 15.1%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 99.3% $106

Eating Out

Shenyang

$81 11.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 198% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$78 * 11%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 113% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 86% $29

Getting Around

Shenyang

$19 2.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 233% $44

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 $226 in Shenyang and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 46% 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: $22 in Shenyang vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $161 vs $272 per month, with Shenyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

23:45 11:45 PM

8 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shenyang Lisbon 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
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

Shenyang vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $708 in Shenyang and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Shenyang is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Shenyang. 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: $226 in Shenyang versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $549 in Shenyang versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Shenyang versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $800 budget is realistic in Shenyang but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shenyang 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.

Expats usually find Shenyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.