Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bålsta and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Bålsta: $1,563 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Bålsta, Sweden
Lisbon, Portugal
Bålsta
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,563
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,563 in Bålsta versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Bålsta $1,563
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,445 in Bålsta versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Bålsta $2,445
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,328 in Bålsta versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Bålsta $3,328
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Bålsta costs roughly 29% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bålsta 15% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.67 SEK 136
$16.65 €14.95
-17.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.8 SEK 663
$61.7 €55.5
8.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.80 SEK 87.4
$11.36 €10.20
-22.54%
Cappuccino
$3.95 SEK 39.26
$2.97 €2.67
33.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 SEK 26.63
$2.29 €2.06
17.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 SEK 22.25
$1.74 €1.56
28.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.16 SEK 71.1
$3.40 €3.06
110.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.96 SEK 69.1
$3.31 €2.97
110.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 SEK 14.79
$1.16 €1.04
28.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.00 SEK 19.90
$1.91 €1.72
4.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.51 SEK 34.83
$1.51 €1.36
132.45%
Eggs
$3.71 SEK 36.89
$4.02 €3.61
-7.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.01 SEK 109
$12.94 €11.62
-14.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.21 SEK 121
$7.77 €6.98
57.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 SEK 109
$17.76 €15.95
-37.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.50 SEK 24.82
$2.30 €2.07
8.70%
Banana (1kg)
$2.60 SEK 25.85
$1.73 €1.56
50.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.07 SEK 20.56
$1.86 €1.67
11.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.90 SEK 28.76
$2.59 €2.33
11.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 SEK 14.93
$1.82 €1.64
-17.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 SEK 11.72
$1.97 €1.77
-40.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.55 SEK 15.38
$1.47 €1.32
5.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 SEK 9.84
$0.72 €0.65
37.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.26 SEK 72.1
$6.58 €5.91
10.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.20 SEK 101
$5.61 €5.04
81.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 SEK 15.25
$1.36 €1.22
13.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 SEK 19.49
$2.14 €1.92
-8.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.28 SEK 32.56
$2.33 €2.10
40.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$79.1 SEK 785
$44.68 €40.14
76.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.03 SEK 59.9
$3.85 €3.46
56.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 SEK 15.34
$1.07 €0.96
43.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$77.4 SEK 769
$16.46 €14.79
370.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.76 SEK 17.48
$2.20 €1.98
-20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.2K SEK 329.5K
$34.2K €30.7K
-2.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K SEK 335.6K
$38.7K €34.8K
-12.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$50.1 SEK 497
$161 €145
-68.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.16 SEK 200
$18.41 €16.54
9.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.59 SEK 393
$32.74 €29.41
20.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.16 SEK 369
$44.55 €40.02
-16.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.37 SEK 262
$19.10 €17.16
38.06%
Cinema Ticket
$12.93 SEK 128
$9.60 €8.62
34.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 SEK 1,203
$668 €600
-81.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,046 SEK 50.1K
$17.6K €15.8K
-71.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.2 SEK 688
$102 €91.6
-32.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$9.93 SEK 98.6
$44.46 €39.94
-77.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.0 SEK 804
$98.5 €88.5
-17.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 SEK 1,121
$124 €111
-8.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$801 SEK 7,955
$1,608 €1,445
-50.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$610 SEK 6,054
$1,190 €1,069
-48.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,368 SEK 13.6K
$2,812 €2,526
-51.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 SEK 10.2K
$2,013 €1,808
-48.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,003 SEK 39.8K
$7,839 €7,042
-48.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,823 SEK 28.0K
$4,576 €4,110
-38.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bålsta
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,868 SEK 38.4K
$1,575 €1,415
145.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.8
3.85
-27.27%

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

Last update for Bålsta: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bålsta
$610
Lisbon
$1.2K 95.2% $580
Groceries & Markets
Bålsta
$299
Lisbon
$272 8.8% $26
Eating Out
Bålsta
$253
Lisbon
$243 3.9% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Bålsta
$123
Lisbon
$166 35.1% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bålsta
$110
Lisbon
$212 93.4% $103
Getting Around
Bålsta
$106
Lisbon
$63 40.3% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Bålsta
$63
Lisbon
$64 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Bålsta and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bålsta pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Bålsta vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Bålsta
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
00:45 12:45 AM
23:45 11:45 PM
1 h behind Bålsta
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,138
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Bålsta Lisbon 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bålsta
  • 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
Bålsta vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bålsta or Lisbon?
Bålsta wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bålsta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bålsta or in Lisbon?
Average pay in Bålsta is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bålsta compared to Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Bålsta versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Bålsta compared to Lisbon?
All in, you’ll spend $1,563 per month in Bålsta versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Bålsta is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Bålsta compared to Lisbon?
A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 43% less than in Bålsta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bålsta or in Lisbon?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bålsta is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Bålsta or Lisbon?
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.
How safe is Bålsta compared to Lisbon?
Safety-wise, Bålsta and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Bålsta vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?