Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Serdang

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $975 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
Learn more

Serdang Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Serdang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $975 in Serdang.

Lisbon $2,202
Serdang $975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,441 in Serdang.

Lisbon $3,274
Serdang $1,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,906 in Serdang.

Lisbon $4,346
Serdang $1,906

Living in Lisbon is roughly 126% more expensive than in Serdang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Serdang is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$2.48 MYR 10.13

587.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$16.85 MYR 68.8

269.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$3.76 MYR 15.33

193.09%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$1.94 MYR 7.92

60.82%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.84 MYR 3.43

170.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.47 MYR 1.94

270.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.39 MYR 17.92

-22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.21 MYR 25.34

-39.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.04 MYR 8.33

-42.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.12 MYR 4.55

66.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-20.21%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.54 MYR 10.37

59.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$13.78 MYR 56.2

-6.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$4.54 MYR 18.50

74.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$9.91 MYR 40.41

78.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.33 MYR 13.57

-32.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.86 MYR 7.60

-5.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.25 MYR 9.20

-16.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$1.61 MYR 6.58

59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.28 MYR 5.24

44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.34 MYR 5.46

47.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.12 MYR 4.57

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.72 MYR 2.95

6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.31 MYR 17.59

55.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$19.36 MYR 79.0

-70.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.47 MYR 14.17

-60.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$4.88 MYR 19.89

-56.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.76 MYR 3.10

205.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$12.22 MYR 49.86

263.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.20 MYR 4.88

229.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.24 MYR 5.07

-15.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$4.77 MYR 19.45

259.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.82 MYR 3.36

167.07%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$41.2K MYR 168.1K

-17.99%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$35.2K MYR 143.7K

8.61%

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

$164 €146

$63.2 MYR 258

159.15%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$8.89 MYR 36.28

107.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$26.10 MYR 106

26.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$40.33 MYR 165

13.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$7.11 MYR 29.00

162.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$5.09 MYR 20.74

91.55%

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

$684 €608

$297 MYR 1,210

130.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

33.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$72.7 MYR 297

42.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$41.98 MYR 171

10.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$87.4 MYR 356

14.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$96.0 MYR 392

29.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$409 MYR 1,669

288.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$302 MYR 1,231

287.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$682 MYR 2,783

317.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$479 MYR 1,954

316.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,055 MYR 8,382

279.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,069 MYR 4,360

313.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$989 MYR 4,035

61.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.18

-7.89%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Serdang: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Serdang

$302 30.9% 74.2% $867

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Serdang

$274 28.1% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Serdang

$94 9.7% 62% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Serdang

$98 10.1% 54.4% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Serdang

$134 13.8% 20.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Serdang

$51 5.2% 22.7% $15

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Serdang

$23 2.3% 64% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $409 in Serdang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 62% 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 $17.00 in Serdang. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $274, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Serdang

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

130,252

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Serdang 11,580 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Serdang

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 Serdang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Serdang differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $975 including rent). Serdang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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 $409 in Serdang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $297 in Serdang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $975 in Serdang versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Serdang but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Serdang 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 Serdang 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 Serdang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.