Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lulea Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lulea

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,885 in Lulea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,023 in Lulea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,161 in Lulea.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 26% more expensive than Lulea, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Lulea 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.12

$12.89 SEK 120

36.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$93.8 SEK 875

-27.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.09

$12.01 SEK 112

17.07%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$4.65 SEK 43.39

-40.22%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$2.56 SEK 23.88

9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$2.06 SEK 19.25

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$8.46 SEK 78.9

-47.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.96

$9.98 SEK 93.2

-53.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.93 SEK 18.02

-35.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.74

$3.55 SEK 33.15

-42.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$5.02 SEK 46.86

-61.75%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$4.95 SEK 46.21

-33.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.85

$12.91 SEK 120

42.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.16

$13.97 SEK 130

-32.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.48

$27.38 SEK 255

-30.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$2.69 SEK 25.13

-1.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.80 SEK 26.15

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$2.62 SEK 24.49

-19.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$4.52 SEK 42.17

-36.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$2.18 SEK 20.33

-6.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.64 SEK 15.26

12.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.26

$3.42 SEK 31.88

-57.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.45 SEK 13.53

-42.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.14

$7.45 SEK 69.5

-4.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.78

$12.66 SEK 118

-37.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$1.83 SEK 17.10

-24.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$1.80 SEK 16.77

28.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.56

$3.36 SEK 31.39

-11.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.17

$60.1 SEK 561

-51.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.95

$9.53 SEK 88.9

-51.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.71 SEK 16.00

21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.10

$75.1 SEK 700

-61.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.89 SEK 17.60

-2.65%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$32.0K SEK 298.4K

21.99%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$34.9K SEK 325.5K

-6.27%

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

$188 €162

$174 SEK 1,627

7.68%

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

$22.93 €19.73

$33.07 SEK 309

-30.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.58

$28.42 SEK 265

29.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.35

$49.17 SEK 459

16.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.80

$36.67 SEK 342

-43.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.63

$13.75 SEK 128

-18.62%

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

$721 €620

$159 SEK 1,481

354.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €12.9K

$5,764 SEK 53.8K

160.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$125 SEK 1,168

-31.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.89

$33.73 SEK 315

9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$126 SEK 1,175

-18.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.7

$172 SEK 1,605

-32.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,319

$791 SEK 7,376

94.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$578 SEK 5,395

111.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,319

$1,413 SEK 13.2K

90.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,732

$1,053 SEK 9,824

91.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

$3,337 SEK 31.1K

116.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

$2,379 SEK 22.2K

118.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,029

$2,732 SEK 25.5K

-13.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.2

-19.29%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Lulea: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $791 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Barcelona vs $94.0 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $428 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

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

Barcelona vs Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Lulea differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,885 including rent). Lulea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Lulea earns 16% less. 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: $1,534 in Barcelona versus $791 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $159 in Lulea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,885 in Lulea versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Lulea 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, Barcelona and Lulea 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 Lulea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.