Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Sibu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $905 in Sibu.

Lisbon $2,210
Sibu $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,406 in Sibu.

Lisbon $3,275
Sibu $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,906 in Sibu.

Lisbon $4,341
Sibu $1,906

Living in Lisbon is roughly 144% more expensive than in Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$2.26 MYR 9.14

636.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$19.22 MYR 77.9

221.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$4.23 MYR 17.14

168.56%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.30 MYR 9.31

29.13%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.61 MYR 2.48

275.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.23 MYR 0.93

656.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.86 MYR 11.60

18.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.46 MYR 18.08

-25.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.76 MYR 7.14

-34.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.87 MYR 3.54

119.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.33 MYR 5.37

13.53%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.18 MYR 8.82

84.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$13.35 MYR 54.1

-3.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$4.90 MYR 19.88

58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$9.92 MYR 40.23

79.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.86 MYR 11.60

-19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.81 MYR 7.35

-4.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.36 MYR 9.58

-21.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.69 MYR 6.86

53.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.38 MYR 5.59

31.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.33 MYR 5.40

48.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.06 MYR 4.28

38.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.56 MYR 2.28

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$4.48 MYR 18.18

46.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$19.27 MYR 78.1

-70.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$3.02 MYR 12.23

-54.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.61 MYR 18.71

-53.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.79 MYR 3.21

194.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$11.49 MYR 46.59

288.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.04 MYR 4.24

270.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.61 MYR 2.48

75.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$7.27 MYR 29.47

126.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.87 MYR 3.51

152.87%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

-24.89%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

7.12%

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

$161 €144

$48.91 MYR 198

229.63%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$7.37 MYR 29.86

149.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$26.21 MYR 106

24.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$27.13 MYR 110

64.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$6.38 MYR 25.88

199.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$3.72 MYR 15.10

158.06%

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

$668 €598

$243 MYR 984

175.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

156.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$56.1 MYR 228

81.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$36.43 MYR 148

22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$69.2 MYR 281

42.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$78.2 MYR 317

58.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$390 MYR 1,579

312.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$318 MYR 1,288

274.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$698 MYR 2,828

303.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$630 MYR 2,552

219.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$2,136 MYR 8,660

266.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,165 MYR 4,723

292.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$487 MYR 1,974

223.47%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Sibu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sibu

$318 35.1% 73.3% $872

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sibu

$258 28.6% 5.1% $14

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sibu

$85 9.4% 65% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sibu

$82 9.1% 61.2% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sibu

$108 11.9% 34.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sibu

$35 3.8% 45.7% $29

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sibu

$19 2.1% 70.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $390 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $19 in Sibu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $258 per month, with Sibu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

15:31 3:31 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

198,239

💱 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 = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Sibu 12,470 km ≈ 16 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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $905 in Sibu, so Sibu is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 3.2 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 $390 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $243 in Sibu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sibu 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 Sibu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sibu 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.