Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Butterworth

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.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Butterworth

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 Butterworth actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Lisbon $2,210
Butterworth $913

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

Lisbon $3,275
Butterworth $1,408

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

Lisbon $4,341
Butterworth $1,902

Lisbon costs about 142% more than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.85

$3.72 MYR 15.16

347.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.1

$19.36 MYR 78.8

218.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.13

$4.77 MYR 19.43

138.16%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.89 MYR 11.76

2.77%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$0.73 MYR 2.96

213.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.36 MYR 1.48

383.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$4.12 MYR 16.78

-17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$4.38 MYR 17.82

-24.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.12 MYR 8.61

-45.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.10 MYR 4.48

73.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-10.65%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$2.24 MYR 9.13

79.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.54

$13.69 MYR 55.7

-5.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$4.49 MYR 18.26

73.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.85

$8.64 MYR 35.18

105.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.06 MYR 12.47

-24.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.71 MYR 6.95

1.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.23 MYR 9.07

-16.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.47 MYR 5.98

76.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.06 MYR 4.33

71.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.09 MYR 4.42

80.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.09 MYR 4.43

34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.58 MYR 2.38

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$4.36 MYR 17.76

50.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$19.00 MYR 77.3

-70.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.93 MYR 11.91

-53.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.98 MYR 20.27

-57.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.70 MYR 2.84

232.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.86

$10.85 MYR 44.18

311.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$1.19 MYR 4.83

223.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.38 MYR 1.53

181.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.69

$4.85 MYR 19.72

239.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.89 MYR 3.61

147.19%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$43.5K MYR 177.0K

-21.37%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$35.5K MYR 144.4K

9.18%

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

$161 €144

$36.81 MYR 150

337.98%

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

$18.41 €16.43

$8.61 MYR 35.03

113.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.21

$26.45 MYR 108

23.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.74

$32.93 MYR 134

35.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.04

$5.90 MYR 24.00

223.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.56

$4.79 MYR 19.52

100.42%

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

$668 €596

$240 MYR 977

178.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$10.9K MYR 44.3K

61.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$59.8 MYR 243

70.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.67

$35.01 MYR 143

26.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €87.9

$82.5 MYR 336

19.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$69.5 MYR 283

77.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,435

$412 MYR 1,678

290.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,062

$300 MYR 1,223

296.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,509

$813 MYR 3,309

245.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,796

$563 MYR 2,292

257.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €6,994

$1,966 MYR 8,002

298.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,082

$1,205 MYR 4,905

279.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,405

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.04

-4.70%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Butterworth

$300 32.9% 74.8% $890

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Butterworth

$258 28.3% 5.1% $14

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Butterworth

$113 12.3% 53.6% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Butterworth

$72 7.9% 66.2% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Butterworth

$111 12.2% 33% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Butterworth

$43 4.7% 33.3% $21

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 73.6% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $412 in Butterworth. 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $19 in Butterworth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $258 – making Butterworth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

339,132

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Butterworth 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,370 in Butterworth. 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 $2,210 in Lisbon and $913 in Butterworth. 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.