Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalmar and Lund

For one person, living is cheaper in Lund: $1,859 a month against $1,953 in Kalmar, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kalmar, Sweden
Lund, Sweden
Kalmar
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,953
/mo nomad
Lund
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,859
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kalmar and in Lund

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

A single person spends $1,953 per month in Kalmar vs $1,859 in Lund, rent included.

  • Kalmar $1,953
  • Lund $1,859

A couple spends around $2,895 per month in Kalmar vs $3,013 in Lund, rent included.

  • Kalmar $2,895
  • Lund $3,013

A family of three spends $3,837 per month in Kalmar vs $4,167 in Lund, rent included.

  • Kalmar $3,837
  • Lund $4,167

Kalmar costs about 5% more than Lund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kalmar and Lund sit above the global median – Kalmar by 44%, Lund by 37%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.36 SEK 152
$13.19 SEK 130
16.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.1 SEK 703
$90.6 SEK 896
-21.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 SEK 104
$11.83 SEK 117
-11.50%
Cappuccino
$4.67 SEK 46.20
$4.66 SEK 46.03
0.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 SEK 27.82
$2.81 SEK 27.82
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 SEK 25.22
$2.05 SEK 20.24
24.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.69 SEK 95.8
$7.81 SEK 77.2
24.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.25 SEK 71.7
$6.83 SEK 67.6
6.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 SEK 14.58
$1.68 SEK 16.61
-11.90%
White Bread (500g)
$3.01 SEK 29.80
$2.49 SEK 24.62
20.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.07 SEK 30.37
$3.52 SEK 34.77
-12.78%
Eggs
$4.65 SEK 46.00
$4.40 SEK 43.46
5.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.58 SEK 164
$12.62 SEK 125
31.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.89 SEK 108
$11.93 SEK 118
-8.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.80 SEK 225
$15.61 SEK 154
46.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.49 SEK 24.59
$2.99 SEK 29.60
-16.72%
Banana (1kg)
$2.77 SEK 27.34
$2.52 SEK 24.88
9.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.57 SEK 35.29
$2.84 SEK 28.03
25.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.46 SEK 44.11
$4.53 SEK 44.79
-1.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 SEK 16.54
$1.66 SEK 16.40
0.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 SEK 22.46
$1.37 SEK 13.58
65.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.93 SEK 19.04
$2.57 SEK 25.38
-24.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 SEK 16.53
$1.54 SEK 15.24
8.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.79 SEK 77.0
$7.76 SEK 76.7
0.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.14 SEK 90.3
$10.98 SEK 109
-16.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 SEK 19.10
$1.92 SEK 18.98
0.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 SEK 25.15
$2.76 SEK 27.32
-7.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.21 SEK 31.74
$3.28 SEK 32.40
-2.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.4 SEK 775
$62.8 SEK 621
24.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$10.03 SEK 99.2
$5.09 SEK 50.4
97.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.72 SEK 17.02
$1.06 SEK 10.52
62.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$47.45 SEK 469
$41.02 SEK 405
15.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 SEK 16.86
$1.74 SEK 17.22
-1.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.2K SEK 298.3K
$32.7K SEK 322.9K
-7.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.3K SEK 289.9K
$34.3K SEK 339.5K
-14.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 SEK 1,428
$79.2 SEK 783
82.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.58 SEK 273
$28.76 SEK 284
-4.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.34 SEK 320
$42.32 SEK 418
-23.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.33 SEK 300
$36.09 SEK 357
-15.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.38 SEK 261
$27.83 SEK 275
-5.21%
Cinema Ticket
$14.58 SEK 144
$15.04 SEK 149
-3.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$142 SEK 1,399
$158 SEK 1,563
-10.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,986 SEK 49.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.41 SEK 488
$79.0 SEK 781
-37.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.31 SEK 438
$57.8 SEK 572
-23.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.2 SEK 783
$102 SEK 1,010
-22.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 SEK 990
$125 SEK 1,237
-19.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 SEK 8,977
$903 SEK 8,927
0.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$778 SEK 7,687
$767 SEK 7,586
1.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,325 SEK 13.1K
$1,832 SEK 18.1K
-27.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,123 SEK 11.1K
$1,482 SEK 14.7K
-24.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,073 SEK 40.3K
$5,909 SEK 58.4K
-31.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,733 SEK 27.0K
$3,688 SEK 36.5K
-25.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kalmar
Lund
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,864 SEK 28.3K
$2,947 SEK 29.1K
-2.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.93
3.03
29.70%

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

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lund: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kalmar
$778
Lund
$767 1.3% $10
Groceries & Markets
Kalmar
$384
Lund
$355 7.5% $29
Eating Out
Kalmar
$295
Lund
$269 8.7% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kalmar
$204
Lund
$150 26.5% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Kalmar
$123
Lund
$164 33.3% $41
Getting Around
Kalmar
$110
Lund
$86 21.4% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Kalmar
$59
Lund
$66 11.2% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $908 in Kalmar versus $903 in Lund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Lund, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Kalmar versus $91 in Lund. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Kalmar vs $355 in Lund – so Lund wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Kalmar
🇸🇪 Lund
🕒 Local time
13:41 1:41 PM
13:41 1:41 PM
Same time as Kalmar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
35,170
82,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.88 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.03 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kalmar Lund 220 km
From you
  • Kalmar
  • Lund

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
Kalmar vs Lund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kalmar and in Lund compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,953 in Kalmar, $1,859 in Lund – Lund comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Kalmar compared to Lund?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,930 per month in Kalmar and $2,788 in Lund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do apartment prices compare in Kalmar and in Lund?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $908 in Kalmar and $903 in Lund. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Kalmar and Lund?
Kindergarten costs $142 per month in Kalmar and $158 in Lund. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 8% more in Kalmar, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How does quality of life compare between Kalmar and Lund?
It depends on your priorities. Lund has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,859 in Lund to $1,953 in Kalmar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Kalmar or Lund safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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