Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Shah Alam: $937 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$937

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $937 in Shah Alam versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Shah Alam $937
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,432 in Shah Alam versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Shah Alam $1,432
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,927 in Shah Alam versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Shah Alam $1,927
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Shah Alam costs roughly 57% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shah Alam is 31% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 MYR 15.07

$17.04 €15.15

-78.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.56 MYR 79.8

$62.3 €55.4

-68.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.05 MYR 16.52

$11.02 €9.80

-63.25%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.17

$3.12 €2.78

-4.49%

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

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$2.27 €2.02

-68.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$1.74 €1.55

-78.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 MYR 13.86

$3.42 €3.04

-0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 MYR 17.69

$3.74 €3.33

16.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.63

$1.17 €1.04

59.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$1.86 €1.66

-41.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.05

$1.54 €1.37

-3.90%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.12

$4.06 €3.61

-44.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 MYR 56.8

$12.91 €11.49

7.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.81

$7.90 €7.03

-44.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.48 MYR 38.67

$17.64 €15.69

-46.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 MYR 14.08

$2.26 €2.01

52.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.71

$1.75 €1.55

-6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.20

$1.89 €1.68

45.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.40

$2.56 €2.27

-28.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.85 €1.64

-34.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.26

$1.97 €1.75

2.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.45 €1.29

-0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.35

$0.77 €0.69

-24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

$6.71 €5.97

-34.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.51 MYR 75.5

$5.67 €5.04

226.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MYR 10.90

$1.37 €1.22

94.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 18.15

$2.11 €1.88

110.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.07

$2.32 €2.07

-67.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.00 MYR 65.3

$44.43 €39.52

-63.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.05

$3.95 €3.51

-68.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.53

$1.05 €0.93

-64.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 MYR 29.51

$17.15 €15.26

-57.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.26

$2.19 €1.95

-63.47%

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

$46.1K MYR 188.3K

$33.8K €30.0K

36.61%

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

$36.2K MYR 147.7K

$38.3K €34.0K

-5.39%

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

$37.60 MYR 153

$164 €146

-77.05%

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

$10.01 MYR 40.84

$18.48 €16.43

-45.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.97 MYR 118

$32.96 €29.32

-12.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.53 MYR 165

$45.87 €40.80

-11.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.02 MYR 20.48

$18.68 €16.61

-73.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 MYR 26.17

$9.75 €8.67

-34.26%

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

$196 MYR 800

$684 €608

-71.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,644 MYR 18.9K

$17.6K €15.7K

-73.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 MYR 238

$104 €92.3

-43.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MYR 163

$46.20 €41.09

-13.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 MYR 276

$99.7 €88.7

-32.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.5 MYR 279

$125 €111

-45.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 MYR 1,384

$1,589 €1,414

-78.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 MYR 1,258

$1,169 €1,040

-73.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 MYR 2,322

$2,851 €2,536

-80.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 MYR 2,255

$1,993 €1,773

-72.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,519 MYR 6,197

$7,793 €6,932

-80.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,170 MYR 4,772

$4,418 €3,930

-73.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 MYR 5,076

$1,600 €1,423

-22.22%

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 Shah Alam: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shah Alam

$308 32.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 279% $861

Groceries & Markets

Shah Alam

$263 28.1%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 3.7% $9.8

Eating Out

Shah Alam

$108 11.5%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 130% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Shah Alam

$106 11.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 59.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shah Alam

$77 8.2%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 181% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Shah Alam

$53 5.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 22.5% $12

Getting Around

Shah Alam

$22 2.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 185% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $339 in Shah Alam and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 29% 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 Shah Alam vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $273 per month, with Shah Alam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

7 h behind Shah Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

812,327

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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shah Alam Lisbon 11,560 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Shah Alam
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

Shah Alam vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shah Alam and Lisbon differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($937 vs $2,202 including rent). Shah Alam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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: $339 in Shah Alam versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $196 in Shah Alam versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $937 in Shah Alam versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shah Alam but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Shah Alam 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, Shah Alam 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 Shah Alam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.