Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kulim

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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 Kulim
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Kulim Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kulim

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $891 in Kulim, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Kulim $891

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,374 in Kulim, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Kulim $1,374

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,857 in Kulim, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Kulim $1,857

Lisbon costs about 148% more than Kulim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Kulim is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$3.72 MYR 15.21

347.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$19.45 MYR 79.5

217.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$4.53 MYR 18.50

150.77%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.89 MYR 11.80

2.77%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.78 MYR 3.20

193.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.42 MYR 1.71

314.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.90 MYR 15.95

-12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.61 MYR 18.82

-28.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.96 MYR 7.99

-40.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.23 MYR 5.02

55.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.30 MYR 5.31

16.15%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.23 MYR 9.10

80.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.68 MYR 51.8

2.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$3.85 MYR 15.75

101.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$10.72 MYR 43.82

65.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.05 MYR 12.46

-24.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.89 MYR 7.71

-8.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.55 MYR 10.40

-27.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.44 MYR 5.90

79.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.19 MYR 4.85

52.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.36 MYR 5.55

44.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.08 MYR 4.42

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.53 MYR 2.16

35.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$4.47 MYR 18.28

47.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$21.05 MYR 86.1

-73.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.07 MYR 12.53

-55.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.90 MYR 15.95

-45.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.75 MYR 3.06

210.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$12.64 MYR 51.7

253.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.04 MYR 4.24

270.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.56 MYR 2.29

91.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$8.26 MYR 33.75

99.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.74 MYR 3.01

197.30%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$48.9K MYR 199.7K

-30.04%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$30.9K MYR 126.3K

25.28%

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

$161 €145

$45.19 MYR 185

256.76%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$8.70 MYR 35.55

111.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$25.83 MYR 106

26.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$36.10 MYR 148

23.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$7.37 MYR 30.13

159.16%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.46 MYR 18.22

115.25%

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

$668 €600

$268 MYR 1,094

149.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,096 MYR 29.0K

148.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$62.2 MYR 254

64.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$30.78 MYR 126

44.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$77.2 MYR 315

27.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$70.8 MYR 290

74.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$419 MYR 1,713

283.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$265 MYR 1,082

349.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$763 MYR 3,119

268.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$497 MYR 2,032

304.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$2,141 MYR 8,749

266.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$1,272 MYR 5,200

259.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

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 27, 2026

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kulim

$265 29.7% 77.7% $925

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kulim

$262 29.4% 4% $11

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kulim

$112 12.5% 54% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kulim

$80 9% 62.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kulim

$108 12.2% 34.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kulim

$45 5.1% 29.4% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kulim

$19 2.2% 69.2% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $419 in Kulim. 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 Kulim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $262 – making Kulim the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Kulim

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

19:17 7:17 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

319,056

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Kulim 11,310 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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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 Kulim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 148% more than Kulim, 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 $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,336 in Kulim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kulim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Lisbon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon and $19 in Kulim. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,210 in Lisbon and $891 in Kulim. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kulim – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Kulim is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 148% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.