Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kuala Terengganu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $924 a month against $2,223 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kuala Terengganu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $924 in Kuala Terengganu.

Lisbon $2,223
Kuala Terengganu $924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,372 in Kuala Terengganu.

Lisbon $3,271
Kuala Terengganu $1,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,821 in Kuala Terengganu.

Lisbon $4,319
Kuala Terengganu $1,821

Living in Lisbon is roughly 141% more expensive than in Kuala Terengganu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Kuala Terengganu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$2.49 MYR 10.15

562.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$23.06 MYR 94.1

165.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.72 MYR 19.25

138.77%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.72 MYR 11.08

12.50%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.47 MYR 1.90

380.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.28 MYR 1.14

517.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.56 MYR 14.52

-4.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$4.18 MYR 17.05

-18.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.70 MYR 6.94

-34.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.02 MYR 4.15

82.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.28 MYR 5.22

19.53%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.13 MYR 8.68

85.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$15.66 MYR 63.9

-18.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$4.35 MYR 17.73

81.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$8.41 MYR 34.29

101.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.36 MYR 13.73

-32.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.61 MYR 6.59

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.10 MYR 8.59

-11.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.50 MYR 6.13

71.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.47 MYR 6.01

26.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.09 MYR 4.45

85.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.00 MYR 4.09

44.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.53 MYR 2.17

54.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$4.46 MYR 18.18

47.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$17.84 MYR 72.8

-68.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.92 MYR 11.91

-56.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$4.82 MYR 19.66

-57.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.67 MYR 2.75

250.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$10.62 MYR 43.31

316.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.27 MYR 5.20

214.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.46 MYR 1.89

136.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$6.55 MYR 26.73

154.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.90 MYR 3.65

153.33%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$43.8K MYR 178.8K

-23.17%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$32.1K MYR 131.0K

22.37%

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

$167 €149

$45.25 MYR 185

270.14%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$8.79 MYR 35.87

113.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$25.10 MYR 102

31.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$44.04 MYR 180

4.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$7.97 MYR 32.49

140.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$4.81 MYR 19.61

104.57%

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

$677 €602

$172 MYR 701

293.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$6,936 MYR 28.3K

143.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$57.5 MYR 235

75.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$36.37 MYR 148

25.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$86.5 MYR 353

15.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$68.0 MYR 278

80.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$361 MYR 1,472

347.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$312 MYR 1,275

283.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$722 MYR 2,946

296.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$471 MYR 1,923

322.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,073 MYR 8,456

265.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,145 MYR 4,669

276.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.06

-5.17%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Kuala Terengganu

$312 33.8% 73.9% $885

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Kuala Terengganu

$254 27.5% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Kuala Terengganu

$96 10.4% 60.5% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Kuala Terengganu

$79 8.6% 63.9% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kuala Terengganu

$112 12.1% 32.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Kuala Terengganu

$54 5.8% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Kuala Terengganu

$17 1.8% 73.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $361 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $254 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

375,424

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Kuala Terengganu 11,530 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
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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 Kuala Terengganu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Kuala Terengganu differ by about 141% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $924 including rent). Kuala Terengganu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,335 in Lisbon and $1,386 in Kuala Terengganu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $361 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $924 in Kuala Terengganu – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kuala Terengganu runs roughly 316% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $924 in Kuala Terengganu versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kuala Terengganu but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Terengganu 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, Lisbon and Kuala Terengganu 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 Kuala Terengganu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.