Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $913 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in Penang versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Penang $913
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,403 in Penang versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Penang $1,403
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,894 in Penang versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Penang $1,894
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Penang costs roughly 59% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Penang is 33% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 MYR 15.23

$16.65 €14.96

-77.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.91 MYR 81.4

$61.7 €55.5

-67.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.53

$11.36 €10.20

-57.92%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.18

$2.97 €2.67

0.34%

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

$0.75 MYR 3.08

$2.29 €2.06

-67.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.50

$1.74 €1.56

-78.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 MYR 16.60

$3.40 €3.06

19.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.88

$3.31 €2.97

32.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.62

$1.16 €1.04

60.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.42

$1.91 €1.72

-43.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.21

$1.51 €1.36

16.56%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.07

$4.02 €3.61

-44.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 MYR 55.0

$12.94 €11.62

4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.19

$7.77 €6.99

-42.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.56

$17.76 €15.96

-51.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.93

$2.30 €2.07

26.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.74

$1.73 €1.56

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.67

$1.86 €1.67

40.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.72

$2.59 €2.33

-45.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.29

$1.82 €1.64

-42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.97 €1.77

-43.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$1.47 €1.32

-25.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.40

$0.72 €0.65

-18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 MYR 19.15

$6.58 €5.92

-28.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.9

$5.61 €5.04

244.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.28

$1.36 €1.22

120.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 MYR 22.10

$2.14 €1.92

152.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.05

$2.33 €2.10

-78.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 49.15

$44.68 €40.14

-73.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.80

$3.85 €3.46

-56.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$1.07 €0.96

-64.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 MYR 30.53

$16.46 €14.79

-54.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$2.20 €1.98

-56.82%

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

$44.2K MYR 180.6K

$34.2K €30.7K

29.25%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.2K

$38.7K €34.8K

-7.65%

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

$36.68 MYR 150

$161 €145

-77.25%

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

$9.56 MYR 39.06

$18.41 €16.54

-48.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.49 MYR 121

$32.74 €29.41

-9.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 MYR 160

$44.55 €40.03

-12.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.85 MYR 19.84

$19.10 €17.16

-74.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.53

$9.60 €8.62

-50.21%

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

$398 MYR 1,625

$668 €600

-40.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K MYR 43.3K

$17.6K €15.8K

-39.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 MYR 249

$102 €91.7

-40.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.45 MYR 145

$44.46 €39.95

-20.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 MYR 342

$98.5 €88.5

-15.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 MYR 287

$124 €111

-43.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,667

$1,608 €1,445

-74.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MYR 1,174

$1,190 €1,069

-75.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,851

$2,812 €2,527

-75.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MYR 2,183

$2,013 €1,809

-73.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,117 MYR 8,650

$7,839 €7,043

-73.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,261 MYR 5,153

$4,576 €4,111

-72.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 MYR 3,807

$1,575 €1,415

-40.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

3.85

4.94%

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

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penang

$287 31.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 314% $903

Groceries & Markets

Penang

$257 28.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 5.8% $15

Eating Out

Penang

$113 12.4%

Lisbon

$243 11% 114% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Penang

$113 12.3%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 47.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penang

$76 8.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 181% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Penang

$49 5.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 30.7% $15

Getting Around

Penang

$18 1.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 259% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $408 in Penang and $1,608 in Lisbon. 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: $20 in Penang vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $272 per month, with Penang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Penang

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

10:26 10:26 AM

8 h behind Penang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,336

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

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Between locations

Penang Lisbon 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Penang
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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

Penang vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang and Lisbon differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($913 vs $2,210 including rent). Penang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Penang. 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: $408 in Penang versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $398 in Penang versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Penang 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 Penang 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.