Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Petaling Jaya: $1,062 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Petaling Jaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $1,062 in Petaling Jaya.

Lisbon $2,203
Petaling Jaya $1,062

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $1,529 in Petaling Jaya.

Lisbon $3,237
Petaling Jaya $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $1,997 in Petaling Jaya.

Lisbon $4,272
Petaling Jaya $1,997

Living in Lisbon is roughly 107% more expensive than in Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 64% above, Petaling Jaya is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$3.71 MYR 15.15

358.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

$24.45 MYR 99.8

156.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$4.87 MYR 19.88

134.50%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$2.99 MYR 12.21

3.34%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$0.88 MYR 3.59

169.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.44 MYR 1.80

277.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$3.33 MYR 13.60

3.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$5.69 MYR 23.21

-42.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.93 MYR 7.90

-39.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.03 MYR 4.20

81.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.44 MYR 5.89

5.56%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$1.76 MYR 7.18

120.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$9.66 MYR 39.44

33.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$3.32 MYR 13.54

139.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$9.54 MYR 38.94

84.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.44 MYR 14.05

-34.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.93 MYR 7.89

-8.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.77 MYR 11.31

-32.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.83 MYR 7.47

34.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.15 MYR 8.80

-13.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.01 MYR 8.23

2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.43 MYR 5.85

-2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.55 MYR 2.25

47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$4.57 MYR 18.66

50.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$19.30 MYR 78.8

-71.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$2.71 MYR 11.08

-50.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$4.46 MYR 18.20

-51.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.20 MYR 4.92

86.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.29

$12.40 MYR 50.6

264.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$1.25 MYR 5.09

220.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.35 MYR 1.44

205.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

$8.73 MYR 35.64

89.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$0.88 MYR 3.58

156.82%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-18.46%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$32.6K MYR 133.2K

24.11%

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

$164 €146

$48.53 MYR 198

237.09%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$8.08 MYR 33.00

129.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.64

$26.83 MYR 110

23.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$51.8 MYR 211

-11.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

$3.16 MYR 12.89

494.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$4.92 MYR 20.09

92.48%

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

$690 €615

$279 MYR 1,137

147.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$10.4K MYR 42.4K

62.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$52.4 MYR 214

99.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

$29.65 MYR 121

52.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$76.3 MYR 311

29.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$84.9 MYR 347

45.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$482 MYR 1,970

228.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$404 MYR 1,651

199.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$831 MYR 3,391

241.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$554 MYR 2,260

254.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

$3,121 MYR 12.7K

144.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

$952 MYR 3,888

365.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$1,744 MYR 7,120

-9.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

4.51

-15.96%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Petaling Jaya

$404 38.8% 66.6% $805

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Petaling Jaya

$250 24% 8.2% $22

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.9% 54.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Petaling Jaya

$83 8% 61.3% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Petaling Jaya

$109 10.5% 34.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Petaling Jaya

$62 5.9% 5.1% $3.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 68.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $482 in Petaling Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $24.00 in Petaling Jaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $250 per month, with Petaling Jaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

15:36 3:36 PM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

771,687

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Petaling Jaya 11,570 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Lisbon
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Petaling Jaya differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($2,203 vs $1,062 including rent). Petaling Jaya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Petaling Jaya. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $482 in Petaling Jaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Lisbon versus $279 in Petaling Jaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,062 in Petaling Jaya versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Petaling Jaya but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Petaling Jaya 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 Petaling Jaya 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 Petaling Jaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.