Cost of Living · MY vs PT
🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur vs 🇵🇹 Lisbon: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $594 in Malaysia vs $1,298 in Portugal — 118.36% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Portugal
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 29.48%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 29.5%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 29.5%
Closest to Malaysia prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +147.16%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +147.16%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +147.16%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Malaysia | Portugal | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $350 | $866 (800 EUR) | +147.16% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $280 | $693 (640 EUR) | +147.16% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $641 | $1,583 (1,463 EUR) | +147.16% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.09 | $10.36 (10 EUR) | +103.54% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $21.19 | $43.15 (40 EUR) | +103.63% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $3.49 | $6.65 (6 EUR) | +90.54% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.44 | $0.74 (1 EUR) | +68.18% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.28 | $2.14 (2 EUR) | +67.19% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.36 | $2.27 (2 EUR) | +66.91% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $3.99 | $6.69 (6 EUR) | +67.67% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.60 | $2.68 (2 EUR) | +67.5% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $1.91 | $3.21 (3 EUR) | +68.06% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $4.79 | $8.03 (7 EUR) | +67.64% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.80 | $1.34 (1 EUR) | +67.5% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.70 | $3.45 (3 EUR) | +102.94% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.05 | $6.54 (6 EUR) | +29.5% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.41 | $2.88 (3 EUR) | +104.26% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.92 | $1.54 (1 EUR) | +67.39% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $20.61 | $39.32 (36 EUR) | +90.78% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $0.87 | $1.66 (2 EUR) | +90.8% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.13 | $2.30 (2 EUR) | +103.54% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.51 | $1.04 (1 EUR) | +103.92% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.60 | $0.78 (1 EUR) | +30% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $63.40 | $121 (112 EUR) | +90.85% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $22.19 | $42.35 (39 EUR) | +90.85% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $14.27 | $27.23 (25 EUR) | +90.82% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $14.13 | $28.77 (27 EUR) | +103.61% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $3.96 | $8.05 (7 EUR) | +103.28% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $8.48 | $17.26 (16 EUR) | +103.54% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $34.74 | $44.98 (42 EUR) | +29.48% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $56.84 | $73.61 (68 EUR) | +29.5% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $70.65 | $144 (133 EUR) | +103.6% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Portugal than Malaysia?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,298 in Portugal versus $594 in Malaysia — 118.36% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Portugal?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.45 in Portugal (≈ 3.19 EUR), versus about $1.70 in Malaysia.
- How much is rent in Portugal compared to Malaysia?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $866/month in Portugal versus $350/month in Malaysia (+147.16%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.