Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serdang and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $975 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
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Serdang Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$975

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $975 in Serdang versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Serdang $975
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,441 in Serdang versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Serdang $1,441
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,906 in Serdang versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Serdang $1,906
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Serdang costs roughly 56% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Serdang is 28% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.48 MYR 10.13

$17.04 €15.15

-85.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.85 MYR 68.8

$62.3 €55.4

-72.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 MYR 15.33

$11.02 €9.80

-65.88%

Cappuccino

$1.94 MYR 7.92

$3.12 €2.78

-37.82%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.43

$2.27 €2.02

-63.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.94

$1.74 €1.55

-72.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.39 MYR 17.92

$3.42 €3.04

28.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 MYR 25.34

$3.74 €3.33

66.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 MYR 8.33

$1.17 €1.04

74.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$1.86 €1.66

-39.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.54 €1.37

25.32%

Eggs

$2.54 MYR 10.37

$4.06 €3.61

-37.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.78 MYR 56.2

$12.91 €11.49

6.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.54 MYR 18.50

$7.90 €7.03

-42.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 MYR 40.41

$17.64 €15.69

-43.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 MYR 13.57

$2.26 €2.01

47.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.60

$1.75 €1.55

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 MYR 9.20

$1.89 €1.68

19.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 MYR 6.58

$2.56 €2.27

-37.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.24

$1.85 €1.64

-30.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.46

$1.97 €1.75

-31.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$1.45 €1.29

-22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$0.77 €0.69

-6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 MYR 17.59

$6.71 €5.97

-35.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.36 MYR 79.0

$5.67 €5.04

241.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.17

$1.37 €1.22

153.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 MYR 19.89

$2.11 €1.88

131.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$2.32 €2.07

-67.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.22 MYR 49.86

$44.43 €39.52

-72.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$3.95 €3.51

-69.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.07

$1.05 €0.93

18.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 MYR 19.45

$17.15 €15.26

-72.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.36

$2.19 €1.95

-62.56%

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

$41.2K MYR 168.1K

$33.8K €30.0K

21.94%

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

$35.2K MYR 143.7K

$38.3K €34.0K

-7.92%

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

$63.2 MYR 258

$164 €146

-61.41%

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

$8.89 MYR 36.28

$18.48 €16.43

-51.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.10 MYR 106

$32.96 €29.32

-20.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.33 MYR 165

$45.87 €40.80

-12.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.11 MYR 29.00

$18.68 €16.61

-61.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MYR 20.74

$9.75 €8.67

-47.79%

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

$297 MYR 1,210

$684 €608

-56.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

$17.6K €15.7K

-24.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MYR 297

$104 €92.3

-29.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.98 MYR 171

$46.20 €41.09

-9.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 MYR 356

$99.7 €88.7

-12.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 MYR 392

$125 €111

-23.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 MYR 1,669

$1,589 €1,414

-74.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 MYR 1,231

$1,169 €1,040

-74.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$682 MYR 2,783

$2,851 €2,536

-76.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 MYR 1,954

$1,993 €1,773

-75.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,055 MYR 8,382

$7,793 €6,932

-73.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 MYR 4,360

$4,418 €3,930

-75.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$989 MYR 4,035

$1,600 €1,423

-38.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

3.85

8.57%

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

Last update for Serdang: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Serdang

$302 30.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 288% $867

Groceries & Markets

Serdang

$274 28.1%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 0.2% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Serdang

$134 13.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 25.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serdang

$98 10.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 119% $117

Eating Out

Serdang

$94 9.7%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 163% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Serdang

$51 5.2%

Lisbon

$65 3% 29.4% $15

Getting Around

Serdang

$23 2.3%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 177% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Serdang and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 62% 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: $17.00 in Serdang vs $62.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $273, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Serdang

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

05:41 5:41 AM

8 h behind Serdang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,252

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 25, 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 25, 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

Serdang Lisbon 11,580 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Serdang
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

Serdang vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serdang and Lisbon differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($975 vs $2,202 including rent). Serdang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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: $409 in Serdang versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $297 in Serdang versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $975 in Serdang versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Serdang but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Serdang 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, Serdang 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 Serdang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.