Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Semenyih

For one person, living is cheaper in Semenyih: $958 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Semenyih
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Semenyih Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Semenyih

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Semenyih

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $958 in Semenyih.

Lisbon $2,202
Semenyih $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,428 in Semenyih.

Lisbon $3,274
Semenyih $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,899 in Semenyih.

Lisbon $4,346
Semenyih $1,899

Living in Lisbon is roughly 130% more expensive than in Semenyih, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Semenyih is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$3.71 MYR 15.14

359.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$18.05 MYR 73.6

245.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.05 MYR 20.59

118.22%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.90 MYR 11.83

7.59%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.64 MYR 2.61

254.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.59 MYR 2.42

194.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.29 MYR 17.49

-20.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.07 MYR 24.78

-38.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.00 MYR 4.09

86.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.43 MYR 5.85

7.69%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$1.72 MYR 7.02

136.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$18.23 MYR 74.4

-29.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$4.66 MYR 19.00

69.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$10.49 MYR 42.80

68.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.24 MYR 13.23

-30.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.70 MYR 6.92

2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.82 MYR 15.60

-50.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.62 MYR 6.62

58.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.43 MYR 5.83

29.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.68 MYR 6.84

17.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.38 MYR 5.62

5.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.51 MYR 2.07

50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.24 MYR 17.30

58.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$13.80 MYR 56.3

-58.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.87 MYR 11.71

-52.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.12 MYR 12.73

-32.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.75 MYR 3.05

209.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$12.19 MYR 49.73

264.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$0.94 MYR 3.82

320.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.71 MYR 2.89

47.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$9.73 MYR 39.70

76.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.52 MYR 2.13

321.15%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$42.0K MYR 171.4K

-19.61%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$35.2K MYR 143.8K

8.57%

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

$164 €146

$53.1 MYR 217

208.49%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$11.18 MYR 45.59

65.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$28.15 MYR 115

17.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$40.45 MYR 165

13.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$7.15 MYR 29.18

161.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.04 MYR 20.54

93.45%

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

$684 €608

$161 MYR 657

324.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$4,497 MYR 18.3K

291.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$53.9 MYR 220

92.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$16.40 MYR 66.9

181.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$80.2 MYR 327

24.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$99.2 MYR 405

25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$401 MYR 1,635

296.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$299 MYR 1,219

291.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$689 MYR 2,813

313.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$476 MYR 1,940

319.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,017 MYR 8,228

286.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,075 MYR 4,386

310.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$668 MYR 2,724

139.64%

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 Semenyih: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Semenyih

$299 31.2% 74.4% $870

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Semenyih

$266 27.8% 2.5% $6.8

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Semenyih

$118 12.3% 52.3% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Semenyih

$92 9.7% 57.1% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Semenyih

$112 11.7% 33.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Semenyih

$51 5.3% 22.7% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Semenyih

$20 2.1% 68.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $401 in Semenyih. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 140% 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 $18.00 in Semenyih for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $266 per month, with Semenyih cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Semenyih

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

45,000

💱 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 →

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Lisbon Semenyih 11,600 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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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 Semenyih: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Semenyih differ by about 130% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $958 including rent). Semenyih is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 140% 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 $401 in Semenyih. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $161 in Semenyih. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $958 in Semenyih versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Semenyih but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Semenyih 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 Semenyih 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 Semenyih gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.