Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $886 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kuching

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $886 in Kuching.

Lisbon $2,223
Kuching $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $1,395 in Kuching.

Lisbon $3,271
Kuching $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $1,904 in Kuching.

Lisbon $4,319
Kuching $1,904

Living in Lisbon is roughly 151% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 65% above, Kuching is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$3.49 MYR 14.23

372.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$24.27 MYR 99.0

152.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$4.91 MYR 20.04

129.53%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$3.22 MYR 13.13

-4.97%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$0.81 MYR 3.30

179.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.35 MYR 1.44

394.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$4.71 MYR 19.23

-28.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$6.07 MYR 24.77

-43.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.21 MYR 4.92

53.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.18 MYR 4.83

29.66%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.43 MYR 9.90

62.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$10.84 MYR 44.24

17.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$4.38 MYR 17.88

80.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$9.94 MYR 40.56

70.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.27 MYR 13.34

-30.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.34 MYR 5.48

30.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-25.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.85 MYR 7.56

38.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.40 MYR 5.72

32.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.18 MYR 4.83

71.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.62 MYR 6.61

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.54 MYR 2.22

51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$4.58 MYR 18.70

43.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$21.82 MYR 89.0

-74.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$4.08 MYR 16.66

-68.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$5.19 MYR 21.17

-60.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.59 MYR 2.39

298.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$12.46 MYR 50.8

254.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.02 MYR 4.16

291.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.20 MYR 4.89

-9.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$8.61 MYR 35.14

93.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.89 MYR 3.62

156.18%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$42.1K MYR 171.5K

-19.92%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$36.8K MYR 149.9K

6.91%

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

$167 €149

$35.97 MYR 147

365.64%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$10.25 MYR 41.81

83.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$25.70 MYR 105

28.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$30.03 MYR 123

53.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$12.47 MYR 50.9

53.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$4.83 MYR 19.70

103.73%

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

$677 €602

$133 MYR 544

408.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$7,106 MYR 29.0K

138.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$63.3 MYR 258

59.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$37.78 MYR 154

21.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$90.3 MYR 368

10.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$65.9 MYR 269

86.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$364 MYR 1,484

343.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$243 MYR 990

393.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$657 MYR 2,679

335.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$478 MYR 1,951

316.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$2,017 MYR 8,227

275.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,507 MYR 6,148

185.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$540 MYR 2,203

194.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.37

-11.90%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Kuching

$243 27.4% 79.7% $954

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Kuching

$272 30.7% 1% $2.8

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Kuching

$122 13.7% 49.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Kuching

$72 8.1% 67.2% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 30.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Kuching

$40 4.5% 39.6% $26

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Kuching

$22 2.5% 65.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $364 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 194% 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: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $24.00 in Kuching. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

10:39 10:39 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

349,147

💱 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 Kuching 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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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 Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 194% 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: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $364 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuching – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $886 in Kuching – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $886 in Kuching versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kuching the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kuching 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 Kuching 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 Kuching gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.