Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Lund

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlstad: $1,727 a month against $1,859 in Lund, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lund outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index

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Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,727 per month in Karlstad vs $1,859 in Lund, rent included.

Karlstad $1,727
Lund $1,859

A couple spends around $2,665 per month in Karlstad vs $3,013 in Lund, rent included.

Karlstad $2,665
Lund $3,013

A family of three spends $3,603 per month in Karlstad vs $4,167 in Lund, rent included.

Karlstad $3,603
Lund $4,167

Karlstad is about 7% cheaper than Lund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Karlstad and Lund sit above the global median – Karlstad by 27%, Lund by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 SEK 149

$13.19 SEK 129

14.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 SEK 790

$90.6 SEK 889

-11.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 SEK 98.9

$11.83 SEK 116

-14.88%

Cappuccino

$4.86 SEK 47.68

$4.66 SEK 45.70

4.29%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.01

$2.81 SEK 27.62

-12.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.25

$2.05 SEK 20.09

5.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 SEK 79.3

$7.81 SEK 76.7

3.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 SEK 64.7

$6.83 SEK 67.1

-3.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.68 SEK 16.49

-13.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 SEK 27.80

$2.49 SEK 24.44

13.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.14

$3.52 SEK 34.52

4.55%

Eggs

$4.37 SEK 42.85

$4.40 SEK 43.15

-0.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$12.62 SEK 124

-19.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.96 SEK 137

$11.93 SEK 117

17.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 SEK 174

$15.61 SEK 153

13.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 28.91

$2.99 SEK 29.39

-1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.35

$2.52 SEK 24.70

6.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 29.71

$2.84 SEK 27.83

6.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.40 SEK 53.0

$4.53 SEK 44.47

19.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 SEK 18.80

$1.66 SEK 16.28

15.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.84

$1.37 SEK 13.49

25.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 25.87

$2.57 SEK 25.20

2.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 SEK 12.74

$1.54 SEK 15.13

-15.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$7.76 SEK 76.1

-10.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$10.98 SEK 108

-7.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 SEK 23.79

$1.92 SEK 18.84

26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 19.98

$2.76 SEK 27.12

-26.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 SEK 30.70

$3.28 SEK 32.17

-4.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 SEK 789

$62.8 SEK 616

27.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 SEK 53.6

$5.09 SEK 49.98

7.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.67

$1.06 SEK 10.45

21.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 SEK 592

$41.02 SEK 403

47.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$1.74 SEK 17.10

-1.15%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

$32.7K SEK 320.6K

-0.07%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

$34.3K SEK 337.1K

-1.74%

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

$99.4 SEK 975

$79.2 SEK 777

25.46%

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

$15.73 SEK 154

$28.76 SEK 282

-45.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 SEK 429

$42.32 SEK 415

3.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.27 SEK 444

$36.09 SEK 354

25.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.66 SEK 163

$27.83 SEK 273

-40.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 SEK 138

$15.04 SEK 148

-6.38%

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

$126 SEK 1,236

$158 SEK 1,551

-20.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 SEK 1,037

$79.0 SEK 775

33.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 SEK 391

$57.8 SEK 568

-31.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 SEK 744

$102 SEK 1,003

-25.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,384

$125 SEK 1,228

12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,518

$903 SEK 8,863

-3.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 SEK 5,638

$767 SEK 7,531

-25.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

$1,832 SEK 18.0K

-35.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 SEK 8,504

$1,482 SEK 14.5K

-41.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

$5,909 SEK 58.0K

-34.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

$3,688 SEK 36.2K

-24.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

$2,947 SEK 28.9K

8.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

3.03

34.98%

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

Last update for Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lund: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlstad

$575 33.3%

Lund

$767 41.3% 33.6% $193

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.4%

Lund

$355 19.1% 4% $15

Eating Out

Karlstad

$282 16.3%

Lund

$269 14.5% 4.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$163 9.5%

Lund

$164 8.8% 0.5% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$159 9.2%

Lund

$150 8.1% 5.4% $8.6

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Lund

$86 4.7% 17.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$73 4.3%

Lund

$66 3.6% 9.9% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Karlstad 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 9% higher in Karlstad, 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 $91 in Lund. Groceries tell a different story – $370 in Karlstad vs $355 in Lund – so Lund wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇸🇪 Lund

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

Same time as Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

82,800

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Karlstad Lund 410 km

From you

Karlstad
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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 Lund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lund is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,590 per month in Karlstad and $2,788 in Lund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $868 in Karlstad and $903 in Lund. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Karlstad and $91 in Lund. 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 $1,859 in Lund. That makes Karlstad about 7% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,727 in Karlstad and $1,859 in Lund, 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.