Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butterworth and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $913 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Butterworth vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Butterworth $913
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $1,408 per month in Butterworth vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Butterworth $1,408
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $1,902 per month in Butterworth vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Butterworth $1,902
Lisbon $4,341

Butterworth is about 59% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Butterworth sits 33% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.10

$16.65 €14.92

-77.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.36 MYR 78.5

$61.7 €55.3

-68.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.36

$11.36 €10.18

-58.01%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.71

$2.97 €2.66

-2.69%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.95

$2.29 €2.05

-68.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$1.74 €1.56

-79.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 MYR 16.71

$3.40 €3.05

21.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.75

$3.31 €2.97

32.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 MYR 8.58

$1.16 €1.04

82.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 MYR 4.47

$1.91 €1.71

-42.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.85

$1.51 €1.36

11.92%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.09

$4.02 €3.60

-44.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 MYR 55.5

$12.94 €11.59

5.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.49 MYR 18.19

$7.77 €6.97

-42.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 MYR 35.03

$17.76 €15.92

-51.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 MYR 12.42

$2.30 €2.06

33.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.92

$1.73 €1.55

-1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.04

$1.86 €1.66

19.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.96

$2.59 €2.32

-43.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$1.82 €1.63

-41.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.40

$1.97 €1.76

-44.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.41

$1.47 €1.32

-25.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.37

$0.72 €0.65

-19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MYR 17.69

$6.58 €5.90

-33.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.00 MYR 77.0

$5.61 €5.02

238.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.86

$1.36 €1.22

115.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MYR 20.18

$2.14 €1.91

132.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$2.33 €2.09

-69.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.85 MYR 44.00

$44.68 €40.04

-75.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.81

$3.85 €3.45

-69.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.52

$1.07 €0.96

-64.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MYR 19.64

$16.46 €14.75

-70.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.59

$2.20 €1.97

-59.55%

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

$43.5K MYR 176.3K

$34.2K €30.6K

27.17%

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

$35.5K MYR 143.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

-8.41%

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

$36.81 MYR 149

$161 €144

-77.17%

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

$8.61 MYR 34.89

$18.41 €16.50

-53.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.45 MYR 107

$32.74 €29.34

-19.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.93 MYR 133

$44.55 €39.92

-26.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 MYR 23.90

$19.10 €17.11

-69.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.44

$9.60 €8.60

-50.10%

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

$240 MYR 973

$668 €598

-64.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.1K

$17.6K €15.8K

-38.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 242

$102 €91.4

-41.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 MYR 142

$44.46 €39.85

-21.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 MYR 334

$98.5 €88.3

-16.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 MYR 282

$124 €111

-43.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 MYR 1,671

$1,608 €1,441

-74.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 MYR 1,218

$1,190 €1,066

-74.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 MYR 3,296

$2,812 €2,520

-71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MYR 2,283

$2,013 €1,804

-72.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 MYR 7,969

$7,839 €7,025

-74.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 MYR 4,886

$4,576 €4,100

-73.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

3.85

4.94%

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

Last update for Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Butterworth

$300 32.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 296% $890

Groceries & Markets

Butterworth

$258 28.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Butterworth

$113 12.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 116% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Butterworth

$111 12.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 49.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butterworth

$72 7.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 196% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Butterworth

$43 4.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 49.9% $21

Getting Around

Butterworth

$17 1.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 278% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $412 in Butterworth versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Butterworth versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $272 – making Butterworth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

8 h behind Butterworth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,132

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butterworth Lisbon 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Butterworth
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

Butterworth vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $913 in Butterworth, $2,210 in Lisbon – Butterworth comes out roughly 59% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,370 per month in Butterworth and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $913 in Butterworth and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Butterworth about 59% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Butterworth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Butterworth, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Butterworth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Butterworth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Butterworth is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 59% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.