Cost of Living · CN vs PT
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇵🇹 Lisbon: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $1,298 in Portugal — 28.31% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Portugal
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 8.33%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 8.46%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 8.52%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +33.19%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +33.19%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +33.19%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Portugal | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $866 (800 EUR) | +33.19% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $693 (640 EUR) | +33.19% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $1,583 (1,463 EUR) | +33.19% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $10.36 (10 EUR) | +25.27% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $43.15 (40 EUR) | +25.25% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $6.65 (6 EUR) | +22.69% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.74 (1 EUR) | +19.35% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $2.14 (2 EUR) | +17.58% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.27 (2 EUR) | +17.62% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $6.69 (6 EUR) | +17.78% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $2.68 (2 EUR) | +18.06% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.21 (3 EUR) | +17.58% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $8.03 (7 EUR) | +17.91% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.34 (1 EUR) | +17.54% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $3.45 (3 EUR) | +25% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $6.54 (6 EUR) | +8.46% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $2.88 (3 EUR) | +25.22% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.54 (1 EUR) | +17.56% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $39.32 (36 EUR) | +22.68% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.66 (2 EUR) | +22.06% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $2.30 (2 EUR) | +25% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.04 (1 EUR) | +25.3% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.78 (1 EUR) | +8.33% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $121 (112 EUR) | +22.72% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $42.35 (39 EUR) | +22.72% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $27.23 (25 EUR) | +22.71% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $28.77 (27 EUR) | +25.25% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $8.05 (7 EUR) | +25.19% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $17.26 (16 EUR) | +25.25% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $44.98 (42 EUR) | +8.52% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $73.61 (68 EUR) | +8.54% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $144 (133 EUR) | +25.26% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Portugal than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,298 in Portugal versus $1,011 in China — 28.31% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Portugal?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.45 in Portugal (≈ 3.19 EUR), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Portugal compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $866/month in Portugal versus $650/month in China (+33.19%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.