Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Taiping

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiping: $851 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Taiping
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Taiping Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Taiping

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Taiping

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $851 in Taiping.

Lisbon $2,210
Taiping $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,309 in Taiping.

Lisbon $3,275
Taiping $1,309

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,768 in Taiping.

Lisbon $4,341
Taiping $1,768

Living in Lisbon is roughly 160% more expensive than in Taiping, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Taiping is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.96

$2.00 MYR 8.17

732.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$24.84 MYR 102

148.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$4.87 MYR 19.90

133.26%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.50 MYR 6.12

98.00%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.76 MYR 3.09

201.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.23 MYR 0.94

656.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.14 MYR 8.73

58.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.06 MYR 24.78

-45.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.31 MYR 5.37

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.76 MYR 3.11

151.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.92 MYR 7.85

-21.35%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.45 MYR 5.91

177.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.73 MYR 56.1

-5.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.99

$1.98 MYR 8.10

292.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.96

$4.83 MYR 19.73

267.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.91 MYR 7.79

20.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.77 MYR 7.23

-2.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.97 MYR 8.07

-5.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$0.96 MYR 3.90

169.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.95 MYR 3.89

91.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.24 MYR 5.07

58.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.02 MYR 4.19

44.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.47 MYR 1.93

53.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.92

$4.42 MYR 18.07

48.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$14.97 MYR 61.2

-62.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.93 MYR 11.97

-53.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$5.01 MYR 20.46

-57.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.72 MYR 2.93

223.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$12.12 MYR 49.55

268.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.03 MYR 4.19

273.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.51 MYR 2.09

109.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$4.90 MYR 20.03

235.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.49 MYR 2.00

348.98%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$24.1K MYR 98.4K

42.06%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$24.3K MYR 99.1K

59.63%

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

$161 €145

$63.2 MYR 258

155.22%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$5.45 MYR 22.26

237.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$24.56 MYR 100

33.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.03

$36.81 MYR 150

21.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$6.43 MYR 26.30

197.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$4.86 MYR 19.86

97.53%

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

$668 €600

$237 MYR 967

182.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$13.1K MYR 53.6K

34.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.7

$72.6 MYR 297

40.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.95

$42.74 MYR 175

4.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$72.5 MYR 296

35.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$94.5 MYR 386

30.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$407 MYR 1,665

294.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$288 MYR 1,177

313.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

$711 MYR 2,906

295.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,809

$543 MYR 2,218

270.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

$2,044 MYR 8,352

283.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

$1,142 MYR 4,665

300.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$361 MYR 1,476

336.04%

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 Taiping: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Taiping

$288 33.8% 75.8% $902

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Taiping

$202 23.8% 25.7% $70

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Taiping

$75 8.9% 69% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Taiping

$93 11% 56.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Taiping

$127 14.9% 23.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Taiping

$47 5.5% 27% $17

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Taiping

$19 2.2% 70.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $407 in Taiping. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $25 in Taiping for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $202 per month, with Taiping cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇲🇾 Taiping

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

23:43 11:43 PM

8 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

241,517

💱 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 = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 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 Taiping 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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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 Taiping: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Taiping differ by about 160% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $851 including rent). Taiping is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 4.4 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 $407 in Taiping. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Taiping 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 Taiping 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 Taiping gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.