Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Kedah versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Kedah $877
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Kedah versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Kedah $1,399
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Kedah versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Kedah $1,920
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Kedah costs roughly 60% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kedah is 36% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$16.65 €14.96

-77.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.4

$61.7 €55.5

-80.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.65

$11.36 €10.20

-59.86%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.90

$2.97 €2.67

-2.02%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$2.29 €2.06

-66.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.60

$1.74 €1.56

-77.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.31

$3.40 €3.06

24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.80

$3.31 €2.97

31.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.68

$1.16 €1.04

62.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.33

$1.91 €1.72

-44.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.01

$1.51 €1.36

13.91%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.94

$4.02 €3.61

-45.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.4

$12.94 €11.62

4.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.75

$7.77 €6.99

-44.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 36.13

$17.76 €15.96

-50.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 12.02

$2.30 €2.07

27.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.67

$1.73 €1.56

-5.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.24

$1.86 €1.67

47.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.94

$2.59 €2.33

-44.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.50

$1.82 €1.64

-39.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$1.97 €1.77

-44.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.63

$1.47 €1.32

-23.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$0.72 €0.65

-20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.89

$6.58 €5.92

-29.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.7

$5.61 €5.04

234.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.19

$1.36 €1.22

119.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.79

$2.14 €1.92

149.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$2.33 €2.10

-67.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.5

$44.68 €40.14

-71.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$3.85 €3.46

-56.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$1.07 €0.96

-64.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.79

$16.46 €14.79

-55.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.47

$2.20 €1.98

-72.73%

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

$45.6K MYR 186.5K

$34.2K €30.7K

33.47%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.5K

$38.7K €34.8K

-7.43%

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

$36.47 MYR 149

$161 €145

-77.38%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.47

$18.41 €16.54

-47.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 120

$32.74 €29.41

-9.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 142

$44.55 €40.03

-22.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 28.01

$19.10 €17.16

-64.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.59

$9.60 €8.62

-50.10%

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

$388 MYR 1,584

$668 €600

-41.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

-39.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 241

$102 €91.7

-42.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 142

$44.46 €39.95

-21.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 334

$98.5 €88.5

-17.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 289

$124 €111

-42.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,462

$1,608 €1,445

-77.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,054

$1,190 €1,069

-78.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,911

$2,812 €2,527

-74.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,479

$2,013 €1,809

-69.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,889

$7,839 €7,043

-75.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,140

$4,576 €4,111

-72.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,473

$1,575 €1,415

-14.97%

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 Kedah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 361% $932

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 6.1% $16

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Lisbon

$243 11% 115% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 49.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 181% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 44.1% $20

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 225% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Kedah and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $12 in Kedah vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $272 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

11:10 11:10 AM

8 h behind Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kedah Lisbon 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Kedah
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

Kedah vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kedah and Lisbon differ by about 152% in total monthly costs ($877 vs $2,210 including rent). Kedah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Kedah. 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: $358 in Kedah versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $388 in Kedah versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $877 in Kedah versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kedah but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kedah 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, Kedah 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 Kedah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.