Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bintulu

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.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bintulu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Bintulu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Lisbon $2,206
Bintulu $852

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

Lisbon $3,276
Bintulu $1,331

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

Lisbon $4,346
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Lisbon is roughly 159% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$4.02 MYR 16.34

319.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$18.75 MYR 76.2

225.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$5.74 MYR 23.30

91.29%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$2.89 MYR 11.76

5.54%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.68 MYR 2.77

235.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$0.38 MYR 1.53

342.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$2.99 MYR 12.13

15.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$5.19 MYR 21.09

-24.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.10 MYR 8.54

-45.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.43 MYR 5.80

32.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.32 MYR 5.37

13.64%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$2.21 MYR 8.96

86.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$17.39 MYR 70.6

-25.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$3.59 MYR 14.59

123.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$5.95 MYR 24.16

200.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.76 MYR 7.15

28.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.00 MYR 4.05

74.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.71 MYR 6.93

6.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.12 MYR 4.56

140.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.55 MYR 2.24

221.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$1.19 MYR 4.85

63.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.75 MYR 3.04

94.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.45 MYR 1.81

68.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$4.11 MYR 16.70

62.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$19.47 MYR 79.1

-71.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$3.02 MYR 12.28

-57.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.00 MYR 8.12

7.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.26 MYR 5.13

82.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

$16.05 MYR 65.2

174.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.95 MYR 3.88

318.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.82 MYR 3.32

-21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$2.51 MYR 10.18

654.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$0.66 MYR 2.70

245.45%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$44.8K MYR 181.9K

-25.50%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$39.9K MYR 161.9K

-3.37%

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

$158 €141

$59.5 MYR 242

165.91%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$31.54 MYR 128

-44.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$30.82 MYR 125

1.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

$68.5 MYR 278

-34.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

$12.11 MYR 49.17

56.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$4.51 MYR 18.32

112.42%

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

$674 €598

$125 MYR 507

439.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$7,487 MYR 30.4K

150.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$65.4 MYR 266

56.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$35.43 MYR 144

29.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$78.3 MYR 318

30.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$92.1 MYR 374

32.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

$224 MYR 909

632.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

$156 MYR 634

661.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

$474 MYR 1,927

495.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

$335 MYR 1,361

502.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

$1,775 MYR 7,211

341.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

$1,172 MYR 4,760

301.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$613 MYR 2,489

175.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.5

-15.11%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 86.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 14.4% $39

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 53.7% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 41.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 27.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 21.5% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 56.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $224 in Bintulu. 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: $61 in Lisbon vs $19 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $235 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

20:16 8:16 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

240,172

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bintulu 12,490 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bintulu

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

Lisbon vs Bintulu: 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.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $852 in Bintulu – 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, Lisbon and Bintulu 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.