Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Setia Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Setia Alam: $904 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 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 Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Setia Alam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $904 in Setia Alam.

Lisbon $2,210
Setia Alam $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,353 in Setia Alam.

Lisbon $3,275
Setia Alam $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,801 in Setia Alam.

Lisbon $4,341
Setia Alam $1,801

Living in Lisbon is roughly 145% more expensive than in Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Setia Alam is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$4.75 MYR 19.28

250.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$24.61 MYR 99.8

150.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.98 MYR 20.18

128.11%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.79 MYR 11.32

6.45%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.77 MYR 3.10

197.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.45 MYR 1.84

286.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$4.40 MYR 17.83

-22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.03 MYR 24.46

-45.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.48 MYR 6.02

-21.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.72 MYR 2.91

165.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.59 MYR 2.40

155.93%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.15 MYR 4.67

249.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.91 MYR 56.4

-6.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$2.51 MYR 10.18

209.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$2.51 MYR 10.18

607.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.19 MYR 4.83

93.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.85 MYR 7.51

-6.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.24 MYR 5.04

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.21 MYR 4.89

114.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.69 MYR 2.81

163.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.70 MYR 2.83

181.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.70 MYR 2.85

110.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.72 MYR 2.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.18 MYR 16.93

57.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$19.78 MYR 80.2

-71.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.49 MYR 14.15

-61.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.99 MYR 20.23

-57.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.75 MYR 3.03

210.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$12.39 MYR 50.2

260.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.21 MYR 4.89

218.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.21 MYR 4.90

-11.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$4.77 MYR 19.32

245.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.49 MYR 1.98

348.98%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$39.5K MYR 159.9K

-13.34%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$33.4K MYR 135.2K

16.10%

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

$161 €144

$61.0 MYR 247

164.30%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$8.67 MYR 35.14

112.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$25.85 MYR 105

26.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$51.1 MYR 207

-12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$6.74 MYR 27.33

183.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$5.00 MYR 20.26

92.00%

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

$668 €598

$235 MYR 951

184.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$7,890 MYR 32.0K

123.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$72.5 MYR 294

40.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$26.70 MYR 108

66.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$53.5 MYR 217

84.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$36.15 MYR 147

242.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$522 MYR 2,116

208.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$313 MYR 1,269

280.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$843 MYR 3,418

233.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$544 MYR 2,207

269.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,033 MYR 8,242

285.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,188 MYR 4,816

285.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,152 MYR 4,670

36.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-3.75%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Setia Alam

$313 34.7% 73.7% $877

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Setia Alam

$201 22.2% 26.3% $72

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Setia Alam

$125 13.9% 48.3% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Setia Alam

$96 10.6% 55% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Setia Alam

$85 9.4% 48.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Setia Alam

$61 6.8% 4.1% $2.6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 64.2% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $522 in Setia Alam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 37% 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 $25 in Setia Alam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $201 per month, with Setia Alam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

13:19 1:19 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

150,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Setia Alam 11,550 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Setia Alam

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 Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $904 in Setia Alam, so Setia Alam is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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 $522 in Setia Alam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $235 in Setia Alam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Setia Alam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Setia Alam 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.