Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlstad: $1,727 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,727 per month in Karlstad vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Karlstad $1,727
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,665 per month in Karlstad vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Karlstad $2,665
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $3,603 per month in Karlstad vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Karlstad $3,603
Lisbon $4,341

Karlstad is about 22% cheaper than Lisbon.

Both Karlstad and Lisbon sit above the global median – Karlstad by 27%, Lisbon by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 SEK 149

$16.65 €14.91

-9.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 SEK 790

$61.7 €55.3

30.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 SEK 98.9

$11.36 €10.17

-11.36%

Cappuccino

$4.86 SEK 47.68

$2.97 €2.66

63.64%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.01

$2.29 €2.05

6.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.25

$1.74 €1.56

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 SEK 79.3

$3.40 €3.05

137.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 SEK 64.7

$3.31 €2.96

99.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.16 €1.04

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 SEK 27.80

$1.91 €1.71

48.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.14

$1.51 €1.35

143.71%

Eggs

$4.37 SEK 42.85

$4.02 €3.60

8.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$12.94 €11.59

-21.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.96 SEK 137

$7.77 €6.96

79.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 SEK 174

$17.76 €15.91

-0.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 28.91

$2.30 €2.06

28.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.35

$1.73 €1.55

54.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 29.71

$1.86 €1.66

62.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.40 SEK 53.0

$2.59 €2.32

108.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 SEK 18.80

$1.82 €1.63

5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.84

$1.97 €1.76

-12.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 25.87

$1.47 €1.32

79.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 SEK 12.74

$0.72 €0.65

80.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$6.58 €5.90

5.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$5.61 €5.02

81.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 SEK 23.79

$1.36 €1.22

77.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 19.98

$2.14 €1.91

-4.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 SEK 30.70

$2.33 €2.09

34.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 SEK 789

$44.68 €40.01

79.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 SEK 53.6

$3.85 €3.45

41.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.67

$1.07 €0.96

20.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 SEK 592

$16.46 €14.74

266.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$2.20 €1.97

-21.82%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-4.52%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

$38.7K €34.7K

-12.84%

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

$99.4 SEK 975

$161 €144

-38.36%

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

$15.73 SEK 154

$18.41 €16.49

-14.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 SEK 429

$32.74 €29.32

33.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.27 SEK 444

$44.55 €39.90

1.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.66 SEK 163

$19.10 €17.10

-12.77%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 SEK 138

$9.60 €8.60

46.67%

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

$126 SEK 1,236

$668 €598

-81.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 SEK 1,037

$102 €91.4

3.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 SEK 391

$44.46 €39.82

-10.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 SEK 744

$98.5 €88.2

-23.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,384

$124 €111

14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,518

$1,608 €1,440

-46.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 SEK 5,638

$1,190 €1,066

-51.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

$2,812 €2,519

-57.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 SEK 8,504

$2,013 €1,803

-56.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

$7,839 €7,021

-50.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

$4,576 €4,098

-39.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

$1,575 €1,411

103.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

3.85

6.23%

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

Last update for Karlstad: 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

Karlstad

$575 33.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 107% $616

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.4%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 26.5% $98

Eating Out

Karlstad

$282 16.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 13.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$163 9.5%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.7% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$159 9.2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 33.7% $53

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 39.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$73 4.3%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 13.2% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Karlstad versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karlstad are about 2 times higher, 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 $81 in Karlstad versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

1 h behind Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karlstad Lisbon 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlstad
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

Karlstad vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon costs about 28% more than Karlstad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,590 per month in Karlstad and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $868 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Karlstad and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,727 in Karlstad and $2,210 in Lisbon. That makes Karlstad about 22% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,727 in Karlstad and $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Karlstad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.