Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and George Town, Malaysia

For one person, living is cheaper in George Town: $952 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in George Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $952 in George Town.

Lisbon $2,210
George Town $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,558 in George Town.

Lisbon $3,275
George Town $1,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,164 in George Town.

Lisbon $4,341
George Town $2,164

Living in Lisbon is roughly 132% more expensive than in George Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, George Town is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$3.46 MYR 14.01

381.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$15.45 MYR 62.6

299.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.68 MYR 18.97

142.74%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.75 MYR 11.15

8.00%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.70 MYR 2.85

227.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.35 MYR 1.42

397.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.47 MYR 10.03

37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.42 MYR 17.93

-25.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.87 MYR 7.58

-37.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.05 MYR 4.25

81.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.73 MYR 7.01

-12.72%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.22 MYR 8.99

81.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.65 MYR 55.4

-5.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.48 MYR 18.14

73.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$8.70 MYR 35.26

104.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.34 MYR 9.48

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.46 MYR 5.91

18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.22 MYR 9.00

-16.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.20 MYR 4.87

115.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.92 MYR 3.71

97.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.85 MYR 3.45

131.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.74 MYR 3.02

98.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.59 MYR 2.38

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.58 MYR 18.55

43.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$18.84 MYR 76.4

-70.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.41 MYR 9.77

-43.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.56 MYR 14.45

-39.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.47 MYR 1.92

395.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$12.01 MYR 48.70

272.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.23 MYR 4.99

213.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.51 MYR 2.05

109.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$6.53 MYR 26.49

152.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.82 MYR 3.34

168.29%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

-24.93%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$34.6K MYR 140.4K

11.83%

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

$161 €144

$36.85 MYR 149

337.50%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$8.05 MYR 32.62

128.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$28.38 MYR 115

15.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$40.35 MYR 164

10.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$5.03 MYR 20.38

279.72%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$4.52 MYR 18.31

112.39%

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

$668 €598

$168 MYR 683

296.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,958 MYR 20.1K

255.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$53.2 MYR 216

91.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$34.86 MYR 141

27.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$73.5 MYR 298

34.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$70.8 MYR 287

74.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$709 MYR 2,874

126.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$366 MYR 1,485

224.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$1,104 MYR 4,475

154.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$904 MYR 3,666

122.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,057 MYR 4,285

49.03%

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 George Town: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

George Town

$366 38.5% 69.2% $824

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

George Town

$241 25.3% 11.5% $31

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

George Town

$100 10.5% 58.7% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

George Town

$73 7.7% 65.5% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

George Town

$105 11% 37% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

George Town

$49 5.2% 22.5% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

George Town

$18 1.9% 72% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $709 in George Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 49% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $15 in George Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $241 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

16:32 4:32 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

794,313

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon George Town 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
George Town

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 George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George Town is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $709 in George Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George Town runs roughly 73% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $168 in George Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

For families, George Town is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and George Town are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find George Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.