Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bålsta

For one person, living is cheaper in Bålsta: $1,563 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Bålsta
Learn more

Bålsta Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bålsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bålsta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,563 in Bålsta.

Lisbon $2,210
Bålsta $1,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,445 in Bålsta.

Lisbon $3,275
Bålsta $2,445

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,328 in Bålsta.

Lisbon $4,341
Bålsta $3,328

Living in Lisbon is roughly 41% more expensive than in Bålsta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Bålsta 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$13.67 SEK 136

21.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$66.8 SEK 663

-7.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$8.80 SEK 87.4

29.09%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.95 SEK 39.26

-24.81%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.68 SEK 26.63

-14.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.24 SEK 22.25

-22.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$7.16 SEK 71.1

-52.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$6.96 SEK 69.1

-52.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.49 SEK 14.79

-22.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.00 SEK 19.90

-4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.51 SEK 34.83

-56.98%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.71 SEK 36.89

8.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$11.01 SEK 109

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$12.21 SEK 121

-36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$11.02 SEK 109

61.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.50 SEK 24.82

-8.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.60 SEK 25.85

-33.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.07 SEK 20.56

-10.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.90 SEK 28.76

-10.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.50 SEK 14.93

21.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.18 SEK 11.72

66.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.55 SEK 15.38

-5.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.99 SEK 9.84

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$7.26 SEK 72.1

-9.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.20 SEK 101

-45.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.54 SEK 15.25

-11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.96 SEK 19.49

9.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$3.28 SEK 32.56

-28.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$79.1 SEK 785

-43.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$6.03 SEK 59.9

-36.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.54 SEK 15.34

-30.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$77.4 SEK 769

-78.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.76 SEK 17.48

25.00%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.2K SEK 329.5K

3.05%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$33.8K SEK 335.6K

14.59%

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

$161 €145

$50.1 SEK 497

222.05%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$20.16 SEK 200

-8.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$39.59 SEK 393

-17.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$37.16 SEK 369

19.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$26.37 SEK 262

-27.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$12.93 SEK 128

-25.75%

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

$668 €600

$121 SEK 1,203

450.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,046 SEK 50.1K

249.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$69.2 SEK 688

47.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$9.93 SEK 98.6

347.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$81.0 SEK 804

21.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$113 SEK 1,121

9.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$801 SEK 7,955

100.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$610 SEK 6,054

95.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,368 SEK 13.6K

105.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,030 SEK 10.2K

95.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$4,003 SEK 39.8K

95.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,823 SEK 28.0K

62.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,868 SEK 38.4K

-59.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.8

37.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bålsta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bålsta

$610 39% 48.8% $580

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bålsta

$299 19.1% 9.7% $26

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bålsta

$253 16.2% 4.1% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bålsta

$110 7% 48.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bålsta

$123 7.9% 26% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bålsta

$63 4% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bålsta

$106 6.8% 67.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $801 in Bålsta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bålsta pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $67 in Bålsta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $299 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇪 Bålsta

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,138

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Bålsta 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bålsta

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

Lisbon vs Bålsta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bålsta wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bålsta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Lisbon. 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $801 in Bålsta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,563 in Bålsta – Bålsta is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 43% less than in Bålsta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bålsta is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Lisbon and Bålsta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.