Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsinki and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,820 a month against $2,202 in Helsinki, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Helsinki
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Helsinki Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index

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Helsinki

🇫🇮 Finland

$2,202

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Helsinki and in Lulea

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Helsinki and in Lulea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Helsinki versus $1,820 in Lulea.

Helsinki $2,202
Lulea $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,554 in Helsinki versus $2,946 in Lulea.

Helsinki $3,554
Lulea $2,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,907 in Helsinki versus $4,073 in Lulea.

Helsinki $4,907
Lulea $4,073

Living in Helsinki is roughly 21% more expensive than in Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Helsinki 63% above, Lulea 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.14 €16.14

$11.71 SEK 116

54.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 €98.4

$96.1 SEK 952

15.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.11

$11.04 SEK 109

23.28%

Cappuccino

$5.06 €4.50

$4.38 SEK 43.41

15.53%

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

$3.37 €3.00

$2.45 SEK 24.24

37.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.94 SEK 19.20

33.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.11 €8.99

$8.56 SEK 84.8

18.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.69 €7.73

$9.41 SEK 93.2

-7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.82 SEK 17.99

-28.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.42 SEK 33.84

-18.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$4.75 SEK 47.11

-45.68%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$4.67 SEK 46.31

-15.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 €8.77

$12.48 SEK 124

-20.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 €11.80

$13.11 SEK 130

1.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.14 €22.36

$26.07 SEK 258

-3.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.44 SEK 24.16

13.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.66 SEK 26.36

-20.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.36 SEK 23.36

6.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 €3.38

$4.16 SEK 41.21

-8.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.09 SEK 20.69

-42.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.50 SEK 14.82

6.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 €1.91

$3.30 SEK 32.69

-34.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.27 SEK 12.59

32.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 €12.29

$7.06 SEK 70.0

95.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.60 €13.88

$12.04 SEK 119

29.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.92 €3.49

$1.78 SEK 17.63

120.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.77 SEK 17.53

124.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 €3.23

$3.23 SEK 31.99

12.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.5 €72.5

$56.5 SEK 560

44.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.33 €14.52

$8.73 SEK 86.5

87.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.05 SEK 20.33

-39.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$75.5 €67.1

$70.8 SEK 702

6.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.04

$1.74 SEK 17.24

32.18%

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

$37.1K €33.0K

$31.9K SEK 316.5K

16.18%

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

$37.2K €33.1K

$33.3K SEK 329.9K

11.77%

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

$137 €122

$161 SEK 1,595

-15.02%

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

$25.71 €22.87

$31.36 SEK 311

-18.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.17 €22.39

$26.51 SEK 263

-5.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 €40.96

$45.47 SEK 450

1.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.90 €33.71

$35.02 SEK 347

8.22%

Cinema Ticket

$18.51 €16.47

$12.85 SEK 127

44.05%

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

$484 €430

$150 SEK 1,490

221.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$5,570 SEK 55.2K

125.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €81.3

$120 SEK 1,189

-23.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.43 €38.63

$32.64 SEK 323

33.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.7

$120 SEK 1,188

-11.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €135

$161 SEK 1,593

-5.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 €1,050

$783 SEK 7,763

50.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 €808

$584 SEK 5,786

55.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 €2,089

$1,449 SEK 14.4K

62.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 €1,551

$1,104 SEK 10.9K

57.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,566 €8,509

$3,072 SEK 30.4K

211.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,361 €3,879

$2,194 SEK 21.7K

98.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,265 €2,905

$2,498 SEK 24.8K

30.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.61

3.85

-6.23%

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

Last update for Helsinki: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Helsinki

$908 41.3%

Lulea

$584 32.1% 35.7% $324

Groceries & Markets

Helsinki

$389 17.7%

Lulea

$404 22.2% 3.9% $15

Eating Out

Helsinki

$338 15.4%

Lulea

$259 14.2% 23.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helsinki

$188 8.5%

Lulea

$219 12% 16.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Helsinki

$177 8%

Lulea

$195 10.7% 10.3% $18

Getting Around

Helsinki

$119 5.4%

Lulea

$88 4.9% 25.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Helsinki

$83 3.8%

Lulea

$71 3.9% 14.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,180 in Helsinki and $783 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helsinki pays 31% 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: $111 in Helsinki vs $96.0 in Lulea. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $404, with Helsinki cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Helsinki

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

16:24 4:24 PM

1 h behind Helsinki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

674,963 Capital

73,864

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Helsinki Lulea 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Helsinki vs Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Helsinki, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,180 in Helsinki versus $783 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lulea – a meal for two runs $96.0 versus $111 in Helsinki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Helsinki versus $1,820 in Lulea – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,820 in Lulea versus $2,202 in Helsinki, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Helsinki. The gap between the two cities makes Lulea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lulea is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Helsinki, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Helsinki 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 21% less than in Helsinki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.