Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xining and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Xining: $714 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xining
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Xining Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Xining

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $714 in Xining versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Xining $714
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,130 in Xining versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Xining $1,130
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,545 in Xining versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Xining $1,545
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Xining 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: Xining is 47% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.82 ¥18.87

$17.04 €15.15

-83.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.76 ¥145

$62.3 €55.4

-65.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 ¥31.89

$11.02 €9.80

-56.72%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥20.77

$3.12 €2.78

-0.32%

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

$0.44 ¥2.94

$2.27 €2.02

-80.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$1.74 €1.55

-84.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$3.42 €3.04

-74.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.05

$3.74 €3.33

-43.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.88

$1.17 €1.04

52.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.86 €1.66

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$1.54 €1.37

-40.91%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$4.06 €3.61

-61.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 ¥85.2

$12.91 €11.49

-1.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.67

$7.90 €7.03

-58.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ¥67.0

$17.64 €15.69

-43.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$2.26 €2.01

-18.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.99

$1.75 €1.55

-31.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.89 €1.68

-18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$2.56 €2.27

-57.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.85 €1.64

-62.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$1.97 €1.75

-52.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$1.45 €1.29

-59.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.69

$0.77 €0.69

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ¥21.26

$6.71 €5.97

-52.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 ¥70.9

$5.67 €5.04

87.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥5.02

$1.37 €1.22

-45.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.11 €1.88

-21.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$2.32 €2.07

-88.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 ¥112

$44.43 €39.52

-62.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 ¥9.36

$3.95 €3.51

-64.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$1.05 €0.93

-65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 ¥43.46

$17.15 €15.26

-62.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$2.19 €1.95

-47.03%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$33.8K €30.0K

-42.60%

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

$17.1K ¥114.2K

$38.3K €34.0K

-55.36%

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

$45.89 ¥307

$164 €146

-71.99%

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

$9.55 ¥63.9

$18.48 €16.43

-48.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.58 ¥77.4

$32.96 €29.32

-64.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.43 ¥284

$45.87 €40.80

-7.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.68 ¥91.5

$18.68 €16.61

-26.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.04

$9.75 €8.67

-38.56%

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

$329 ¥2,201

$684 €608

-51.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ¥111.1K

$17.6K €15.7K

-5.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.59 ¥291

$104 €92.3

-57.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.36 ¥203

$46.20 €41.09

-34.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ¥474

$99.7 €88.7

-28.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 ¥474

$125 €111

-43.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ¥1,831

$1,589 €1,414

-82.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,283

$1,169 €1,040

-83.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 ¥3,968

$2,851 €2,536

-79.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,379

$1,993 €1,773

-82.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,085 ¥20.6K

$7,793 €6,932

-60.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,043 ¥13.7K

$4,418 €3,930

-53.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.85

1.04%

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

Last update for Xining: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xining

$197 27.6%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 38.6% $76

Accommodation & Living

Xining

$192 26.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 509% $977

Clothing & Footwear

Xining

$97 13.6%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 73.5% $71

Eating Out

Xining

$86 12%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 189% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xining

$67 9.4%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 221% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Xining

$54 7.6%

Lisbon

$65 3% 20.1% $11

Getting Around

Xining

$21 3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 199% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $274 in Xining and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Xining vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $273 per month, with Xining cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xining

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

7 h behind Xining

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,333,700

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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Xining Lisbon 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Xining
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

Xining vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xining and Lisbon differ by about 208% in total monthly costs ($714 vs $2,202 including rent). Xining is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,071 in Xining and $3,302 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $274 in Xining versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Xining versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Xining versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Xining but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Xining 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, Xining 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 Xining gentler on the wallet – expenses run 208% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.