Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nilai and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Nilai: $941 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Nilai
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Nilai Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$941

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nilai 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 Nilai and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $941 in Nilai versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Nilai $941
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,396 in Nilai versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Nilai $1,396
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,852 in Nilai versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Nilai $1,852
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Nilai costs roughly 58% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nilai is 30% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 MYR 15.25

$16.50 €14.78

-77.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.83 MYR 80.9

$61.3 €54.9

-67.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.27 MYR 25.60

$11.27 €10.10

-44.37%

Cappuccino

$3.36 MYR 13.73

$3.06 €2.74

9.80%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.01

$2.26 €2.03

-67.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.45

$1.73 €1.55

-79.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 MYR 14.84

$3.39 €3.04

7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MYR 18.24

$3.40 €3.04

31.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$1.12 €1.00

57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 MYR 5.61

$1.86 €1.66

-26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.91

$1.53 €1.37

-5.23%

Eggs

$2.01 MYR 8.22

$3.96 €3.55

-49.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.67 MYR 55.8

$12.76 €11.43

7.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 MYR 17.59

$7.90 €7.07

-45.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.77 MYR 39.88

$16.97 €15.20

-42.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 MYR 13.46

$2.27 €2.03

45.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.64

$1.75 €1.57

-6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.82

$1.85 €1.66

30.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.54

$2.57 €2.30

-37.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.16

$1.86 €1.66

-31.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.84

$2.02 €1.81

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$1.44 €1.29

-18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.21

$0.82 €0.73

-34.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 MYR 15.86

$6.56 €5.87

-40.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.63 MYR 76.0

$5.62 €5.04

231.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 MYR 10.46

$1.28 €1.14

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 MYR 18.75

$2.07 €1.85

122.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MYR 2.60

$2.35 €2.10

-72.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.86 MYR 44.33

$44.18 €39.58

-75.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 MYR 4.62

$3.99 €3.57

-71.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 MYR 1.80

$1.09 €0.97

-59.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.26 MYR 29.64

$16.64 €14.91

-56.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 MYR 3.43

$2.28 €2.04

-63.16%

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

$39.2K MYR 159.8K

$33.7K €30.2K

16.27%

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

$36.7K MYR 149.8K

$39.3K €35.2K

-6.59%

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

$49.40 MYR 202

$167 €150

-70.51%

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

$9.72 MYR 39.65

$18.80 €16.84

-48.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.75 MYR 113

$33.09 €29.64

-16.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.34 MYR 140

$46.01 €41.22

-25.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.71 MYR 31.45

$19.19 €17.19

-59.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MYR 20.87

$9.84 €8.81

-48.07%

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

$209 MYR 854

$677 €607

-69.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,291 MYR 29.8K

$16.9K €15.2K

-56.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 MYR 222

$101 €90.7

-46.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.97 MYR 126

$45.76 €40.99

-32.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 MYR 328

$100.0 €89.6

-19.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 MYR 300

$123 €110

-40.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 MYR 1,630

$1,614 €1,446

-75.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 MYR 1,251

$1,197 €1,072

-74.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 MYR 2,722

$2,862 €2,563

-76.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 MYR 1,954

$1,990 €1,783

-75.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,013 MYR 8,216

$7,577 €6,787

-73.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,019 MYR 4,161

$4,307 €3,858

-76.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,410 MYR 5,755

$1,588 €1,422

-11.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.85

5.45%

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

Last update for Nilai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nilai

$307 32.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 290% $890

Groceries & Markets

Nilai

$258 27.4%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 4.6% $12

Eating Out

Nilai

$121 12.8%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 101% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Nilai

$108 11.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 54.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nilai

$87 9.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 153% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Nilai

$45 4.7%

Lisbon

$66 3% 47.4% $21

Getting Around

Nilai

$17 1.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 276% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $400 in Nilai and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 13% 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: $20.00 in Nilai vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $269 per month, with Nilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Nilai

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

14:08 2:08 PM

7 h behind Nilai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,612

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nilai Lisbon 11,600 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Nilai
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

Nilai vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nilai and Lisbon differ by about 136% in total monthly costs ($941 vs $2,223 including rent). Nilai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% 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: $400 in Nilai versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $209 in Nilai 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 5% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $941 in Nilai versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nilai but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Nilai 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, Nilai 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 Nilai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 136% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.