Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Skudai

For one person, living is cheaper in Skudai: $900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
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Skudai Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Skudai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $900 in Skudai.

Lisbon $2,210
Skudai $900

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,370 in Skudai.

Lisbon $3,275
Skudai $1,370

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,840 in Skudai.

Lisbon $4,341
Skudai $1,840

Living in Lisbon is roughly 146% more expensive than in Skudai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.89

$3.63 MYR 14.82

358.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$18.25 MYR 74.5

238.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.16

$4.90 MYR 20.03

131.84%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.87 MYR 11.72

3.48%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.83 MYR 3.39

175.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.45 MYR 1.83

286.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$3.33 MYR 13.61

2.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.62 MYR 22.95

-41.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.02 MYR 4.18

87.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.48 MYR 6.06

2.03%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.66 MYR 6.78

142.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.58

$9.64 MYR 39.40

34.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$3.20 MYR 13.07

142.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.89

$9.61 MYR 39.24

84.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.42 MYR 13.96

-32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.70 MYR 6.94

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.61 MYR 10.68

-28.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.64 MYR 6.68

57.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.41 MYR 5.74

29.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.73 MYR 7.08

13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.37 MYR 5.59

7.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.51 MYR 2.09

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.89

$4.28 MYR 17.48

53.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$13.83 MYR 56.5

-59.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.74 MYR 11.18

-50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.99 MYR 12.21

-28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.83 MYR 3.40

180.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.97

$10.95 MYR 44.74

308.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$1.01 MYR 4.13

281.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.36 MYR 1.46

197.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.73

$9.03 MYR 36.89

82.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.86 MYR 3.50

155.81%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$44.3K MYR 180.8K

-22.77%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$36.0K MYR 147.1K

7.55%

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

$161 €144

$48.79 MYR 199

230.44%

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

$18.41 €16.47

$8.16 MYR 33.35

125.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.29

$26.88 MYR 110

21.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.86

$36.95 MYR 151

20.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.09

$7.55 MYR 30.84

152.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.59

$4.93 MYR 20.16

94.73%

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

$668 €597

$235 MYR 961

183.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,393 MYR 17.9K

300.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.3

$50.5 MYR 206

101.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.78

$16.62 MYR 67.9

167.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.1

$77.2 MYR 316

27.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$85.4 MYR 349

44.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,439

$357 MYR 1,460

350.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,065

$311 MYR 1,269

283.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,516

$650 MYR 2,657

332.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,801

$565 MYR 2,308

256.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,014

$1,956 MYR 7,990

300.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,094

$1,161 MYR 4,742

294.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,409

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 Skudai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Skudai

$311 34.5% 73.9% $879

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Skudai

$226 25.2% 16.8% $46

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Skudai

$111 12.4% 54.2% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Skudai

$84 9.3% 60.5% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Skudai

$103 11.5% 37.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Skudai

$47 5.2% 26.5% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Skudai

$17 1.9% 73% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $357 in Skudai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $18 in Skudai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $226 per month, with Skudai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Skudai

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

159,733

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Skudai 11,850 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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 Skudai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Skudai differ by about 146% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $900 including rent). Skudai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,315 in Lisbon and $1,349 in Skudai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $357 in Skudai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $900 in Skudai versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Skudai but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Skudai 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 Skudai 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 Skudai 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.