Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Muar

For one person, living is cheaper in Muar: $951 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Muar
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Muar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Muar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Muar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $951 in Muar.

Lisbon $2,210
Muar $951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,505 in Muar.

Lisbon $3,275
Muar $1,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,059 in Muar.

Lisbon $4,341
Muar $2,059

Living in Lisbon is roughly 133% more expensive than in Muar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.93

$4.82 MYR 19.72

245.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.4

$29.01 MYR 119

112.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.19

$3.88 MYR 15.86

192.78%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.05 MYR 12.46

-2.62%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.76 MYR 3.12

201.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.46 MYR 1.88

278.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.44 MYR 18.14

-23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.27 MYR 25.63

-47.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$2.13 MYR 8.72

-45.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.07 MYR 4.37

78.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.85 MYR 7.58

-18.38%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.44 MYR 9.96

64.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.61

$14.25 MYR 58.3

-9.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.44 MYR 18.17

75.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.93

$9.95 MYR 40.68

78.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.36 MYR 13.75

-31.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-6.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.25 MYR 9.19

-17.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.51 MYR 6.19

71.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.22 MYR 4.97

49.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.37 MYR 5.60

43.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.16 MYR 4.74

26.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.71 MYR 2.91

1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.45 MYR 18.19

47.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.03

$19.48 MYR 79.7

-71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.48 MYR 14.24

-60.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.99 MYR 20.42

-57.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.64 MYR 2.63

264.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.08

$10.62 MYR 43.43

320.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.19 MYR 4.85

223.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-14.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.77

$4.87 MYR 19.93

237.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.81 MYR 3.32

171.60%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$44.4K MYR 181.6K

-23.04%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

11.07%

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

$161 €145

$62.0 MYR 254

159.91%

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

$18.41 €16.51

$8.88 MYR 36.32

107.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.37

$26.21 MYR 107

24.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.96

$37.02 MYR 151

20.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.13

$5.79 MYR 23.66

229.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.61

$4.85 MYR 19.83

97.94%

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

$668 €599

$240 MYR 981

178.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$13.3K MYR 54.5K

32.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.5

$72.2 MYR 295

41.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.89

$41.83 MYR 171

6.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.4

$84.3 MYR 345

16.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$96.3 MYR 394

28.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,443

$445 MYR 1,818

261.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,067

$253 MYR 1,033

371.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,523

$617 MYR 2,521

356.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,806

$518 MYR 2,117

288.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,032

$2,001 MYR 8,180

291.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,104

$1,229 MYR 5,023

272.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,413

$603 MYR 2,465

161.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.17

-7.67%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Muar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Muar

$253 26.6% 78.8% $937

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Muar

$274 28.9% 0.8% $2.1

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Muar

$126 13.3% 47.9% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Muar

$97 10.2% 54.3% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Muar

$133 14% 20.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Muar

$47 4.9% 26.7% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Muar

$21 2.2% 67.4% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $445 in Muar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $29 in Muar. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $274, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Muar

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

314,776

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 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 October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Muar 11,720 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Muar

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 Muar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Muar differ by about 133% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $951 including rent). Muar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.6 times higher, 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 $445 in Muar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Muar runs roughly 76% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $951 in Muar – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $951 in Muar versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Muar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Muar 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 Muar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Muar wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.