Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $913 a month against $2,210 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Penang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $913 in Penang.

Lisbon $2,210
Penang $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,403 in Penang.

Lisbon $3,275
Penang $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,894 in Penang.

Lisbon $4,341
Penang $1,894

Living in Lisbon is roughly 142% more expensive than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Penang is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$3.73 MYR 15.18

346.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$19.91 MYR 81.1

210.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$4.78 MYR 19.47

137.66%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-0.34%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.75 MYR 3.07

205.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.37 MYR 1.50

370.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.06 MYR 16.55

-16.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.38 MYR 17.83

-24.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.86 MYR 7.60

-37.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.08 MYR 4.41

76.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.76 MYR 7.19

-14.20%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.22 MYR 9.04

81.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.46 MYR 54.9

-3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$4.45 MYR 18.13

74.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$8.70 MYR 35.45

104.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.92 MYR 11.89

-21.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.65 MYR 6.72

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.61 MYR 10.63

-28.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.40 MYR 5.70

85.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.05 MYR 4.28

73.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.12 MYR 4.55

75.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.10 MYR 4.47

33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.59 MYR 2.39

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.69 MYR 19.09

40.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$19.31 MYR 78.7

-70.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.00 MYR 12.24

-54.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$5.41 MYR 22.04

-60.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.50 MYR 2.04

366.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$12.03 MYR 49.00

271.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.66 MYR 6.78

131.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.38 MYR 1.54

181.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$7.47 MYR 30.44

120.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.95 MYR 3.85

131.58%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$44.2K MYR 180.1K

-22.63%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$35.8K MYR 145.7K

8.29%

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

$161 €145

$36.68 MYR 149

339.53%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$9.56 MYR 38.94

92.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$29.49 MYR 120

11.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$39.20 MYR 160

13.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$4.85 MYR 19.78

293.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.78 MYR 19.47

100.84%

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

$668 €600

$398 MYR 1,620

67.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$10.6K MYR 43.2K

66.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$60.9 MYR 248

67.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$35.45 MYR 144

25.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$83.6 MYR 340

17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$70.2 MYR 286

76.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$408 MYR 1,662

294.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$287 MYR 1,170

314.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$698 MYR 2,842

303.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$534 MYR 2,176

276.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,117 MYR 8,624

270.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,261 MYR 5,137

262.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$931 MYR 3,795

69.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.04

-4.70%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Penang

$287 31.5% 75.9% $903

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Penang

$257 28.2% 5.5% $15

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Penang

$113 12.4% 53.2% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Penang

$76 8.3% 64.3% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Penang

$113 12.3% 32.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Penang

$49 5.3% 23.5% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Penang

$18 1.9% 72.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $408 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 69% 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 in Lisbon vs $20 in Penang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $257 per month, with Penang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

05:07 5:07 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

158,336

💱 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 = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Penang 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Penang

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 Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $913 in Penang, so Penang is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $408 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $398 in Penang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Penang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Penang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.