Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lund Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Lund

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barcelona versus $1,949 in Lund.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Barcelona versus $3,033 in Lund.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,563 in Barcelona versus $4,117 in Lund.

Living in Barcelona is roughly 21% more expensive than Lund, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 77% above, Lund 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.12

$12.42 SEK 116

41.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €58.9

$85.7 SEK 799

-20.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.06 €12.09

$11.98 SEK 112

17.36%

Cappuccino

$2.78 €2.39

$5.01 SEK 46.78

-44.51%

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

$2.80 €2.41

$2.83 SEK 26.39

-1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.78

$2.07 SEK 19.33

-0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.84

$8.27 SEK 77.2

-46.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €3.96

$7.53 SEK 70.3

-38.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.62 SEK 15.11

-23.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.74

$2.23 SEK 20.80

-8.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$2.92 SEK 27.24

-34.25%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.85

$4.42 SEK 41.20

-25.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.43 €15.85

$12.89 SEK 120

42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 €8.16

$11.41 SEK 106

-16.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 €16.48

$17.35 SEK 162

10.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.20 SEK 29.89

-17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$2.89 SEK 26.99

-15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.82

$2.90 SEK 27.05

-26.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.45

$4.42 SEK 41.23

-35.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.67 SEK 15.61

22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.63 SEK 15.23

13.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.26

$2.63 SEK 24.52

-44.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.73

$1.29 SEK 12.01

-34.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.14 €6.14

$8.10 SEK 75.6

-11.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.88 €6.78

$11.86 SEK 111

-33.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$2.04 SEK 18.99

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €1.99

$2.15 SEK 20.04

7.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.56

$3.42 SEK 31.92

-12.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.26 €25.17

$67.2 SEK 627

-56.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 €3.95

$5.40 SEK 50.4

-14.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.78

$1.90 SEK 17.74

8.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.18 €25.10

$62.6 SEK 584

-53.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.98 SEK 18.44

-7.07%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$32.8K SEK 306.3K

18.85%

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

$32.7K €28.1K

$34.3K SEK 319.9K

-4.63%

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

$188 €162

$123 SEK 1,148

52.70%

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

$22.93 €19.73

$28.49 SEK 266

-19.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €31.58

$41.60 SEK 388

-11.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €49.35

$39.20 SEK 366

46.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.70 €17.80

$24.29 SEK 227

-14.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 €9.63

$17.86 SEK 167

-37.35%

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

$721 €620

$176 SEK 1,638

310.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K €12.9K

$4,218 SEK 39.4K

256.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 €74.2

$79.1 SEK 738

8.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.07 €31.89

$60.3 SEK 563

-38.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €87.8

$104 SEK 971

-1.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €99.7

$127 SEK 1,187

-8.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,319

$970 SEK 9,054

58.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,050

$757 SEK 7,060

61.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,319

$1,644 SEK 15.3K

63.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,732

$1,314 SEK 12.3K

53.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,220 €6,211

$6,660 SEK 62.1K

8.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,189 €4,463

$3,858 SEK 36.0K

34.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,359 €2,029

$3,140 SEK 29.3K

-24.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

4.8

-29.37%

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

Last update for Barcelona: May 31, 2026

Last update for Lund: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Barcelona and $970 in Lund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lund pays 33% 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 $86.0 in Lund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $355 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 Lund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Lund differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,949 including rent). Lund is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Lund earns 33% 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 $970 in Lund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $721 in Barcelona versus $176 in Lund. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,949 in Lund versus $2,367 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lund but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Lund 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 Lund 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 Lund gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.