Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Seri Iskandar

For one person, living is cheaper in Seri Iskandar: $708 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Seri Iskandar
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Seri Iskandar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Seri Iskandar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Seri Iskandar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $708 in Seri Iskandar.

Lisbon $2,210
Seri Iskandar $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $917 in Seri Iskandar.

Lisbon $3,275
Seri Iskandar $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,126 in Seri Iskandar.

Lisbon $4,341
Seri Iskandar $1,126

Living in Lisbon is roughly 212% more expensive than in Seri Iskandar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Seri Iskandar is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$2.74 MYR 11.18

507.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$29.75 MYR 121

107.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$4.72 MYR 19.24

140.68%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.02 MYR 4.15

191.18%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.52 MYR 2.13

340.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.26 MYR 1.06

569.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.99 MYR 12.19

13.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.62 MYR 14.73

-8.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.58 MYR 6.43

-26.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.95 MYR 3.88

101.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.51 MYR 2.09

196.08%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.03 MYR 8.25

98.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$5.31 MYR 21.65

143.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$1.94 MYR 7.89

300.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$4.47 MYR 18.21

297.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.16 MYR 8.80

6.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.69 MYR 6.88

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.98 MYR 8.06

-6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.03 MYR 4.19

151.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.63 MYR 2.56

188.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.95 MYR 3.89

107.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.02 MYR 4.15

44.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.63 MYR 2.56

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.39 MYR 17.87

49.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$7.42 MYR 30.21

-24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.44 MYR 9.93

-44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$3.72 MYR 15.15

-42.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.08 MYR 4.41

115.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$12.26 MYR 49.96

264.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.02 MYR 4.17

277.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.24 MYR 5.03

-13.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$4.87 MYR 19.83

237.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.61 MYR 2.50

260.66%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$19.4K MYR 78.9K

76.49%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$19.6K MYR 79.8K

97.66%

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

$161 €145

$62.8 MYR 256

156.84%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$8.98 MYR 36.60

105.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$16.79 MYR 68.4

95.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$13.48 MYR 54.9

230.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$6.76 MYR 27.55

182.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$3.73 MYR 15.21

157.37%

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

$668 €600

$237 MYR 965

182.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$13.1K MYR 53.4K

34.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$16.83 MYR 68.6

506.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$8.68 MYR 35.36

412.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$60.4 MYR 246

63.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$37.27 MYR 152

231.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$419 MYR 1,707

283.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$287 MYR 1,169

314.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$779 MYR 3,175

260.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$162 MYR 659

1144.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,030 MYR 8,271

286.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,168 MYR 4,758

291.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$366 MYR 1,489

330.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

92.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Seri Iskandar: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Seri Iskandar

$287 40.6% 75.9% $903

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Seri Iskandar

$158 22.4% 41.9% $114

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Seri Iskandar

$74 10.4% 69.6% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Seri Iskandar

$89 12.5% 58.3% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Seri Iskandar

$55 7.8% 66.6% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Seri Iskandar

$21 3% 67.1% $43

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Seri Iskandar

$24 3.4% 62.4% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $419 in Seri Iskandar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $30 in Seri Iskandar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $158 per month, with Seri Iskandar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Seri Iskandar

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

04:34 4:34 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

14,827

💱 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 Seri Iskandar 11,420 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Seri Iskandar

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 Seri Iskandar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $708 in Seri Iskandar, so Seri Iskandar is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.3 times higher, 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 $419 in Seri Iskandar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $237 in Seri Iskandar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Seri Iskandar versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Seri Iskandar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Seri Iskandar 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 Seri Iskandar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Seri Iskandar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.