Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miri and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $809 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$809

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Miri and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Miri and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $809 in Miri versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Miri $809
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,235 in Miri versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Miri $1,235
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,661 in Miri versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Miri $1,661
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Miri costs roughly 64% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Miri is 40% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.57

$16.50 €14.67

-78.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.29 MYR 50.1

$61.3 €54.5

-79.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 MYR 18.66

$11.27 €10.03

-59.36%

Cappuccino

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$3.06 €2.72

-21.90%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$2.26 €2.01

-63.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.23

$1.73 €1.54

-82.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 MYR 11.94

$3.39 €3.02

-13.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MYR 15.63

$3.40 €3.02

12.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MYR 5.76

$1.12 €1.00

25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MYR 7.62

$1.86 €1.65

0.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

$1.53 €1.36

-38.56%

Eggs

$3.56 MYR 14.53

$3.96 €3.53

-10.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 MYR 19.74

$7.90 €7.02

-38.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 MYR 62.2

$16.97 €15.09

-10.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 8.09

$1.75 €1.55

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.57

$0.82 €0.73

-52.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.20

$6.56 €5.83

-35.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.34 MYR 78.9

$5.62 €5.00

244.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.31

$1.28 €1.14

135.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 MYR 9.77

$2.07 €1.84

15.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.04

$2.35 €2.09

-78.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.38 MYR 58.7

$44.18 €39.30

-67.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$3.99 €3.55

-69.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MYR 2.36

$1.09 €0.97

-46.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 MYR 25.38

$16.64 €14.81

-62.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 MYR 2.78

$2.28 €2.03

-70.18%

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

$49.8K MYR 203.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

47.83%

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

$32.7K MYR 133.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-16.82%

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

$49.34 MYR 201

$167 €149

-70.54%

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

$9.96 MYR 40.64

$18.80 €16.72

-47.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.87 MYR 134

$33.09 €29.43

-0.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.98 MYR 118

$46.01 €40.93

-37.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.10 MYR 24.88

$19.19 €17.07

-68.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 MYR 18.33

$9.84 €8.75

-54.37%

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

$98.5 MYR 402

$677 €602

-85.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,442 MYR 26.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

-61.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.57 MYR 182

$101 €90.1

-55.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.03 MYR 93.9

$45.76 €40.70

-49.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 MYR 224

$100.0 €88.9

-45.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.84 MYR 175

$123 €109

-65.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 MYR 1,377

$1,614 €1,436

-79.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 MYR 1,183

$1,197 €1,065

-75.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 MYR 2,423

$2,862 €2,545

-79.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 MYR 2,393

$1,990 €1,770

-70.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,212 MYR 4,946

$7,577 €6,740

-84.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 MYR 2,785

$4,307 €3,831

-84.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$683 MYR 2,787

$1,588 €1,412

-56.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

3.85

7.01%

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

Last update for Miri: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Miri

$290 35.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 313% $907

Groceries & Markets

Miri

$196 * 24.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 37.6% $74

Eating Out

Miri

$98 12.1%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 148% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miri

$92 11.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 138% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Miri

$74 9.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 124% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Miri

$38 4.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 73% $28

Getting Around

Miri

$20 2.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 208% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $338 in Miri and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 132% 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: $12.00 in Miri vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $269 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Miri

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

05:15 5:15 AM

7 h behind Miri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,877

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Miri Lisbon 12,470 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Miri
Lisbon

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

Miri vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miri and Lisbon differ by about 175% in total monthly costs ($809 vs $2,223 including rent). Miri is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 132% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $338 in Miri versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $98.5 in Miri versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $809 in Miri versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Miri but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Miri 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, Miri and Lisbon 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 Miri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 175% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.