Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kota Bharu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Bharu: $694 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kota Bharu

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

A single person spends $2,206 per month in Lisbon vs $694 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Lisbon $2,206
Kota Bharu $694

A couple spends around $3,276 per month in Lisbon vs $1,075 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Lisbon $3,276
Kota Bharu $1,075

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $1,455 in Kota Bharu, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Kota Bharu $1,455

Lisbon costs about 218% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 63% above the global median, while Kota Bharu is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$2.24 MYR 9.12

652.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$19.43 MYR 79.2

214.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

$4.79 MYR 19.51

129.23%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$2.18 MYR 8.87

39.91%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$0.47 MYR 1.93

385.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.26 MYR 1.05

546.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$4.27 MYR 17.40

-19.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$4.34 MYR 17.68

-9.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.57 MYR 6.38

-26.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.90 MYR 3.67

110.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.78 MYR 3.18

92.31%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$1.60 MYR 6.51

157.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$13.48 MYR 55.0

-3.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$3.06 MYR 12.49

162.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$6.52 MYR 26.57

174.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$3.07 MYR 12.52

-26.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.45 MYR 5.89

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.76 MYR 11.25

-34.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.12 MYR 4.58

140.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.95 MYR 3.86

86.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.10 MYR 4.46

76.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.10 MYR 4.48

32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.45 MYR 1.83

68.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

$3.35 MYR 13.66

98.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$19.31 MYR 78.7

-70.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.93 MYR 11.93

-55.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$5.45 MYR 22.19

-60.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.76 MYR 3.11

202.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

$12.22 MYR 49.79

260.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.77 MYR 7.20

124.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.41 MYR 1.65

56.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

$3.75 MYR 15.29

404.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.48 MYR 1.96

375.00%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$31.4K MYR 128.1K

6.15%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$29.5K MYR 120.3K

30.41%

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

$158 €141

$37.70 MYR 154

319.60%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$8.53 MYR 34.74

105.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$26.29 MYR 107

18.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

$48.85 MYR 199

-8.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

$4.44 MYR 18.11

115.77%

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

$674 €601

$122 MYR 497

452.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$11.6K MYR 47.3K

61.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$54.7 MYR 223

86.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

$19.81 MYR 80.7

131.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$80.7 MYR 329

26.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$69.8 MYR 284

74.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

$247 MYR 1,007

564.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

$123 MYR 502

863.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

$676 MYR 2,753

318.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

$224 MYR 913

800.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

$296 MYR 1,205

470.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

4.24

-9.91%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kota Bharu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kota Bharu

$123 17.7% 89.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Kota Bharu

$229 33% 16.5% $45

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Kota Bharu

$91 13.2% 62.8% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Kota Bharu

$73 10.5% 65% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Kota Bharu

$101 14.6% 39.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kota Bharu

$58 8.3% 9.5% $6.1

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Kota Bharu

$19 2.8% 68.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Lisbon versus $247 in Kota Bharu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Lisbon versus $19 in Kota Bharu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $229 – making Kota Bharu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

15:36 3:36 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

568,900

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Kota Bharu 11,400 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Kota Bharu

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 Kota Bharu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 218% more than Kota Bharu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,309 per month in Lisbon and $1,041 in Kota Bharu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kota Bharu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $1,641 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Kota Bharu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $674 per month in Lisbon and $122 in Kota Bharu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kota Bharu, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Lisbon at $2,206. In Kota Bharu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kota Bharu – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Kota Bharu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.