Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,138 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Shenzhen $1,138
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Shenzhen $1,750
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Shenzhen $2,362
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Shenzhen costs roughly 49% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shenzhen is 16% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.50

$16.50 €14.67

-77.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$61.3 €54.5

-51.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.23

$11.27 €10.03

-53.15%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.80

$3.06 €2.72

6.86%

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

$0.54 ¥3.62

$2.26 €2.01

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$1.73 €1.54

-80.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$3.39 €3.02

-54.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.35

$3.40 €3.02

-36.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.83

$1.12 €1.00

44.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.83

$1.86 €1.65

-12.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.26

$1.53 €1.36

-28.76%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.42

$3.96 €3.53

-56.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$12.76 €11.35

67.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.05

$7.90 €7.02

-56.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.1

$16.97 €15.09

-16.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.62

$2.27 €2.02

3.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.53

$1.75 €1.55

-9.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.85 €1.64

5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$2.57 €2.28

-42.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$1.86 €1.65

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$2.02 €1.80

-38.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.44 €1.28

-59.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.82 €0.73

-28.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.43

$6.56 €5.83

-32.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.3

$5.62 €5.00

108.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.56

$1.28 €1.14

-23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$2.07 €1.84

-15.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.35 €2.09

-73.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$44.18 €39.30

-49.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.70

$3.99 €3.55

-63.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$1.09 €0.97

-64.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.86

$16.64 €14.81

-57.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$2.28 €2.03

-41.23%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

$33.7K €30.0K

-42.31%

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

$18.1K ¥121.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

-53.81%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$167 €149

-61.13%

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

$10.25 ¥68.4

$18.80 €16.72

-45.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$33.09 €29.43

-51.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$46.01 €40.93

6.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$19.19 €17.07

-10.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$9.84 €8.75

-23.68%

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

$538 ¥3,591

$677 €602

-20.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥161.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

43.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$101 €90.1

-45.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥267

$45.76 €40.70

-12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$100.0 €88.9

-27.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$123 €109

-23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,128

$1,614 €1,436

-52.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,243

$1,197 €1,065

-59.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.2K

$2,862 €2,545

-30.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,805

$1,990 €1,770

-56.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥91.9K

$7,577 €6,740

81.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.7K

$4,307 €3,831

41.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$1,588 €1,412

9.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.85

-12.99%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: 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

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 146% $711

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 7.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 41.8% $49

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 143% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 140% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 3% $1.9

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 124% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $269 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

06:31 6:31 AM

7 h behind Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shenzhen Lisbon 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Shenzhen
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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

Shenzhen vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen and Lisbon differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($1,138 vs $2,223 including rent). Shenzhen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Shenzhen, 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: $768 in Shenzhen versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen 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 7% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenzhen but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shenzhen 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, Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.