Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,439 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Gavle
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,439
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Gavle

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 Gavle actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,439 in Gavle.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Gavle $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,286 in Gavle.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Gavle $2,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,134 in Gavle.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Gavle $3,134

Living in Lisbon is roughly 53% more expensive than in Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Gavle 6% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.15
$13.69 SEK 136
24.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.4
$79.4 SEK 786
-21.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.80
$9.31 SEK 92.2
18.37%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.78
$4.42 SEK 43.79
-29.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.07 SEK 20.51
9.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.91 SEK 18.95
-8.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.04
$7.79 SEK 77.2
-56.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.33
$7.75 SEK 76.8
-51.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.04
$1.63 SEK 16.12
-28.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.61 SEK 25.84
-28.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$3.73 SEK 36.95
-58.71%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.61
$3.81 SEK 37.80
6.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.49
$9.13 SEK 90.4
41.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.03
$10.29 SEK 102
-23.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.69
$18.73 SEK 186
-5.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.01
$3.05 SEK 30.25
-25.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.74 SEK 27.16
-36.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$3.27 SEK 32.43
-42.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.27
$4.35 SEK 43.07
-41.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$1.73 SEK 17.12
6.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.82 SEK 17.99
8.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$2.55 SEK 25.26
-43.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$2.05 SEK 20.35
-62.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.97
$7.99 SEK 79.1
-16.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.04
$11.13 SEK 110
-49.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.64 SEK 16.23
-16.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.55 SEK 15.34
36.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$3.25 SEK 32.22
-28.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.52
$60.4 SEK 598
-26.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.51
$4.52 SEK 44.83
-12.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.93
$1.53 SEK 15.16
-31.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.26
$33.87 SEK 336
-49.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.81 SEK 17.90
20.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$25.8K SEK 255.2K
31.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.0K
$28.1K SEK 278.1K
36.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$55.6 SEK 551
194.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.43
$21.93 SEK 217
-15.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.32
$39.60 SEK 392
-16.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.80
$47.32 SEK 469
-3.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.61
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.67
$15.22 SEK 151
-35.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €608
$133 SEK 1,321
412.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$15.3K SEK 151.1K
15.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.3
$70.6 SEK 699
47.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.09
$58.8 SEK 583
-21.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €88.7
$50.9 SEK 505
95.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$89.5 SEK 887
39.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,414
$579 SEK 5,738
174.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,040
$425 SEK 4,208
175.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,536
$762 SEK 7,546
274.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,773
$665 SEK 6,593
199.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,932
$1,945 SEK 19.3K
300.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,930
$1,333 SEK 13.2K
231.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Gavle
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,423
$3,144 SEK 31.1K
-49.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.37
14.24%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Gavle
$425 63.7% $744
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Gavle
$351 28.7% $78
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Gavle
$261 5.4% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Gavle
$117 45.6% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Gavle
$121 27.9% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Gavle
$78 19% $12
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Gavle
$86 36% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $579 in Gavle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gavle pays 96% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $79.0 in Gavle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $351 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇸🇪 Gavle
🕒 Local time
09:20 9:20 AM
10:20 10:20 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
100,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Gavle 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Gavle

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 Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Gavle?
Lisbon and Gavle differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,439 including rent). Gavle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Gavle. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Gavle?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $579 in Gavle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Lisbon and in Gavle?
A monthly transit pass in Gavle runs roughly 36% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Gavle?
Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $133 in Gavle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,439 in Gavle versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Gavle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Gavle?
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.
Is Lisbon or Gavle safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Gavle are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Gavle?
Expats usually find Gavle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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