Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Nilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nilai: $944 a month against $2,202 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Nilai
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Nilai Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Nilai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $944 in Nilai.

Lisbon $2,202
Nilai $944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,408 in Nilai.

Lisbon $3,274
Nilai $1,408

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,873 in Nilai.

Lisbon $4,346
Nilai $1,873

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$3.61 MYR 14.71

372.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$19.70 MYR 80.4

216.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$6.16 MYR 25.13

78.90%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.45 MYR 14.09

-9.57%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.81 MYR 3.32

180.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.38 MYR 1.56

357.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.56 MYR 14.54

-3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.48 MYR 18.29

-16.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.38 MYR 5.65

34.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.43 MYR 5.84

7.69%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.22 MYR 9.06

82.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-6.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$4.32 MYR 17.61

82.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$9.83 MYR 40.11

79.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.22 MYR 13.15

-29.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.69 MYR 6.91

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-23.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.55 MYR 6.33

65.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.28 MYR 5.21

44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.29 MYR 5.27

52.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.18 MYR 4.81

22.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.56 MYR 2.29

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.97 MYR 20.29

35.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$20.83 MYR 85.0

-72.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.60 MYR 10.60

-47.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.35 MYR 17.75

-51.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.73 MYR 2.99

217.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$13.51 MYR 55.1

228.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.12 MYR 4.57

252.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.52 MYR 2.11

101.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$8.45 MYR 34.46

102.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.96 MYR 3.93

128.13%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$42.8K MYR 174.4K

-21.00%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$30.6K MYR 125.0K

24.85%

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

$164 €146

$49.33 MYR 201

232.07%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$9.58 MYR 39.06

92.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$28.03 MYR 114

17.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$36.98 MYR 151

24.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$6.36 MYR 25.94

193.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$4.79 MYR 19.55

103.55%

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

$684 €608

$186 MYR 759

267.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,358 MYR 25.9K

177.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$49.57 MYR 202

109.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$37.46 MYR 153

23.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$75.4 MYR 308

32.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$81.2 MYR 331

53.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$382 MYR 1,558

316.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$297 MYR 1,210

294.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$665 MYR 2,715

328.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$477 MYR 1,947

317.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,219 MYR 9,052

251.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$979 MYR 3,993

351.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,393 MYR 5,683

14.84%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Nilai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Nilai

$297 31.4% 74.6% $873

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Nilai

$263 27.9% 3.5% $9.6

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Nilai

$120 12.8% 51.4% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Nilai

$87 9.2% 59.6% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Nilai

$110 11.6% 34.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Nilai

$47 4.9% 28.8% $19

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Nilai

$20 2.1% 68% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $382 in Nilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 15% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $20.00 in Nilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $263 per month, with Nilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Nilai

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

38,612

💱 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 25, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Nilai 11,600 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 Nilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Nilai differ by about 133% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $944 including rent). Nilai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $382 in Nilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $186 in Nilai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $944 in Nilai versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nilai but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Nilai 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 Nilai 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 Nilai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.