Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Subang Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Subang Jaya: $1,288 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Subang Jaya
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Subang Jaya Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Subang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Subang Jaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,288 in Subang Jaya.

Lisbon $2,210
Subang Jaya $1,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,775 in Subang Jaya.

Lisbon $3,275
Subang Jaya $1,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,262 in Subang Jaya.

Lisbon $4,341
Subang Jaya $2,262

Living in Lisbon is roughly 72% more expensive than in Subang Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Subang Jaya is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.87

$3.63 MYR 14.79

358.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.2

$19.42 MYR 79.0

217.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$4.60 MYR 18.72

146.96%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.65

$2.92 MYR 11.88

1.71%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$0.72 MYR 2.94

218.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.37 MYR 1.50

370.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.04

$4.06 MYR 16.53

-16.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$4.43 MYR 18.02

-25.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.80 MYR 7.30

-35.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.06 MYR 4.31

80.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.77 MYR 7.18

-14.69%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.59

$2.25 MYR 9.17

78.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.56

$13.84 MYR 56.3

-6.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.94

$4.42 MYR 17.98

75.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.86

$8.78 MYR 35.73

102.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.08 MYR 12.51

-25.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.83 MYR 7.44

-5.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.21 MYR 9.00

-15.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.45 MYR 5.92

78.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.07 MYR 4.34

70.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.08 MYR 4.41

82.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.09 MYR 4.43

34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.54 MYR 2.18

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.88

$4.38 MYR 17.81

50.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.01

$18.79 MYR 76.4

-70.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.99 MYR 12.14

-54.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$4.87 MYR 19.81

-56.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.25 MYR 1.02

832.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €39.91

$24.29 MYR 98.8

83.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.44

$1.24 MYR 5.06

210.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.40 MYR 1.64

167.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.70

$4.93 MYR 20.07

233.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.87 MYR 3.55

152.87%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$44.0K MYR 179.2K

-22.38%

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

$38.7K €34.6K

$35.0K MYR 142.6K

10.48%

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

$161 €144

$37.37 MYR 152

331.42%

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

$18.41 €16.44

$10.06 MYR 40.93

83.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.24

$28.58 MYR 116

14.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.79

$31.43 MYR 128

41.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.06

$2.51 MYR 10.21

660.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.57

$4.87 MYR 19.80

97.13%

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

$668 €596

$396 MYR 1,612

68.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

62.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$59.2 MYR 241

72.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.72

$35.42 MYR 144

25.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.0

$84.0 MYR 342

17.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$71.0 MYR 289

74.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,437

$851 MYR 3,463

88.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,063

$663 MYR 2,697

79.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,512

$1,068 MYR 4,343

163.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,798

$906 MYR 3,687

122.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,002

$2,344 MYR 9,535

234.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,087

$1,876 MYR 7,631

143.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,407

$933 MYR 3,794

68.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

4.04

-4.70%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Subang Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Subang Jaya

$663 51.5% 44.3% $527

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Subang Jaya

$255 19.8% 6.2% $17

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Subang Jaya

$111 8.7% 54.1% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Subang Jaya

$76 5.9% 64.2% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Subang Jaya

$112 8.7% 32.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Subang Jaya

$41 3.2% 35.4% $23

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Subang Jaya

$29 2.2% 54.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $851 in Subang Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 69% 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 $19 in Subang Jaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $255 per month, with Subang Jaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Subang Jaya

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

18:15 6:15 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

902,086

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.246 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Subang Jaya 11,570 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Subang Jaya

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 Subang Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,288 in Subang Jaya, so Subang Jaya is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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 $851 in Subang Jaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $396 in Subang Jaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Subang Jaya 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 Subang Jaya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Subang Jaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.