Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Helsingborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Helsingborg: $1,710 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Helsingborg

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Lisbon vs $1,710 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Lisbon $2,202
Helsingborg $1,710

A couple spends around $3,274 per month in Lisbon vs $2,636 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Lisbon $3,274
Helsingborg $2,636

A family of three spends $4,346 per month in Lisbon vs $3,561 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Lisbon $4,346
Helsingborg $3,561

Lisbon costs about 29% more than Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lisbon and Helsingborg sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Helsingborg by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$13.35 SEK 132

27.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$69.2 SEK 686

-10.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$12.75 SEK 126

-13.57%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$4.53 SEK 44.87

-31.13%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.88 SEK 28.49

-21.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.38 SEK 23.60

-26.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$6.81 SEK 67.5

-49.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$6.20 SEK 61.4

-39.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.47 SEK 14.61

-20.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.69 SEK 26.65

-30.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.93 SEK 29.08

-47.44%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.90 SEK 38.60

4.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.24 SEK 111

14.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$11.27 SEK 112

-29.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$15.15 SEK 150

16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.14 SEK 31.11

-28.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.53 SEK 25.03

-30.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.89 SEK 28.67

-34.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$4.47 SEK 44.31

-42.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.72 SEK 17.02

7.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.58 SEK 15.64

24.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.86 SEK 18.38

-22.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.61 SEK 15.99

-52.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$8.18 SEK 81.0

-17.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$9.09 SEK 90.1

-37.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.10 SEK 20.78

-34.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.20 SEK 21.77

-4.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.26 SEK 32.25

-28.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$62.2 SEK 616

-28.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$6.28 SEK 62.2

-37.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.72 SEK 17.00

-38.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$60.5 SEK 599

-71.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.80 SEK 17.80

21.67%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$32.8K SEK 325.2K

2.93%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$33.8K SEK 335.2K

13.11%

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

$164 €146

$103 SEK 1,020

59.16%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$19.97 SEK 198

-7.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$33.57 SEK 333

-1.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$38.54 SEK 382

19.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$22.23 SEK 220

-15.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$14.82 SEK 147

-34.21%

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

$684 €608

$176 SEK 1,746

288.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$80.1 SEK 794

29.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$33.62 SEK 333

37.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$87.2 SEK 864

14.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$107 SEK 1,060

16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$846 SEK 8,380

87.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$652 SEK 6,464

79.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,399 SEK 13.9K

103.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

84.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,133 SEK 31.0K

148.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,265 SEK 22.4K

95.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$2,880 SEK 28.5K

-44.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.06

25.82%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Helsingborg: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Helsingborg

$652 38.2% 44.2% $517

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Helsingborg

$337 19.7% 23.6% $64

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Helsingborg

$267 15.6% 7.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Helsingborg

$156 9.2% 27.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Helsingborg

$139 8.1% 17.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Helsingborg

$68 4% 4.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Helsingborg

$90 5.3% 43.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Lisbon versus $846 in Helsingborg. 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 80% higher in Helsingborg, 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 $62.0 in Lisbon versus $69.0 in Helsingborg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $337 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

19:44 7:44 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

93,838

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Helsingborg 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Helsingborg

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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon, $1,710 in Helsingborg – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,302 per month in Lisbon and $2,565 in Helsingborg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Helsingborg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Helsingborg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $684 per month in Lisbon and $176 in Helsingborg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Helsingborg, where all-in costs run around $1,710, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Helsingborg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,710 in Helsingborg to $2,202 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Helsingborg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.