Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Bintulu versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Bintulu $852
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Bintulu versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Bintulu $1,331
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,810 in Bintulu versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Bintulu $1,810
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Bintulu costs roughly 61% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bintulu is 37% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 MYR 16.39

$16.86 €15.04

-76.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.75 MYR 76.4

$61.0 €54.5

-69.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 MYR 23.38

$10.98 €9.80

-47.72%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.80

$3.05 €2.72

-5.25%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.78

$2.28 €2.04

-70.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.53

$1.68 €1.50

-77.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 MYR 12.17

$3.44 €3.07

-13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.16

$3.91 €3.48

32.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 MYR 8.57

$1.15 €1.02

82.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.89 €1.68

-24.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.39

$1.50 €1.34

-12.00%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 8.99

$4.12 €3.67

-46.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 MYR 70.9

$13.01 €11.60

33.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.63

$8.04 €7.18

-55.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.95 MYR 24.24

$17.89 €15.96

-66.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$2.27 €2.03

-22.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.74 €1.56

-42.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.96

$1.82 €1.62

-6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$2.69 €2.40

-58.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 MYR 2.24

$1.77 €1.58

-68.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.94 €1.73

-38.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$1.46 €1.31

-48.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.76 €0.68

-40.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 MYR 16.75

$6.66 €5.94

-38.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.47 MYR 79.4

$5.64 €5.03

245.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.32

$1.29 €1.15

134.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MYR 8.15

$2.14 €1.91

-6.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 MYR 5.14

$2.30 €2.05

-45.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.05 MYR 65.4

$44.02 €39.26

-63.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.89

$3.98 €3.55

-76.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 MYR 3.33

$0.64 €0.57

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 MYR 10.21

$18.93 €16.88

-86.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 MYR 2.71

$2.28 €2.03

-71.05%

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

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

$33.4K €29.8K

34.22%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

$38.5K €34.3K

3.49%

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

$59.5 MYR 242

$158 €141

-62.39%

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

$31.54 MYR 129

$17.54 €15.64

79.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.82 MYR 126

$31.18 €27.82

-1.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 MYR 279

$44.64 €39.82

53.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.11 MYR 49.34

$18.98 €16.93

-36.20%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$9.58 €8.54

-52.92%

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

$125 MYR 509

$674 €601

-81.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

$18.7K €16.7K

-60.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 MYR 267

$102 €91.2

-35.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 MYR 144

$45.90 €40.94

-22.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 MYR 319

$102 €91.2

-23.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 MYR 375

$122 €109

-24.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 MYR 912

$1,641 €1,463

-86.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 MYR 636

$1,187 €1,059

-86.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 MYR 1,933

$2,825 €2,519

-83.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 MYR 1,366

$2,018 €1,800

-83.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,775 MYR 7,235

$7,836 €6,989

-77.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 MYR 4,776

$4,701 €4,193

-75.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 MYR 2,498

$1,687 €1,505

-63.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

3.82

17.80%

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

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bintulu

$235 27.6%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 16.8% $39

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$156 18.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 661% $1K

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 37.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$122 14.3%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 69.8% $85

Eating Out

Bintulu

$114 13.3%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 116% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$78 9.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 17.7% $14

Getting Around

Bintulu

$26 3.1%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 131% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Bintulu and $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Bintulu vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $275 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

8 h behind Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Lisbon 12,490 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
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

Bintulu vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Bintulu. 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: $224 in Bintulu versus $1,641 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $852 per month in Bintulu versus $2,206 in Lisbon – Bintulu is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 64% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Bintulu and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.