Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kalmar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalmar: $1,953 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kalmar

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,953 in Kalmar, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Kalmar $1,953

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $2,895 in Kalmar, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Kalmar $2,895

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $3,837 in Kalmar, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Kalmar $3,837

Lisbon costs about 13% more than Kalmar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lisbon and Kalmar sit above the global median – Lisbon by 62%, Kalmar by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$15.36 SEK 151

8.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$71.1 SEK 698

-13.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$10.47 SEK 103

8.50%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$4.67 SEK 45.86

-36.40%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.81 SEK 27.62

-18.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.55 SEK 25.04

-31.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$9.69 SEK 95.1

-64.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$7.25 SEK 71.2

-54.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.48 SEK 14.48

-21.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.01 SEK 29.58

-36.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.07 SEK 30.15

-50.81%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$4.65 SEK 45.67

-13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$16.58 SEK 163

-21.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$10.89 SEK 107

-28.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$22.80 SEK 224

-22.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.49 SEK 24.41

-7.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.77 SEK 27.14

-37.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$3.57 SEK 35.03

-47.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$4.46 SEK 43.79

-41.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.67 SEK 16.42

8.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.27 SEK 22.29

-13.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.93 SEK 18.90

-23.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.67 SEK 16.41

-56.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$7.79 SEK 76.4

-15.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.14 SEK 89.7

-38.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.93 SEK 18.96

-29.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.54 SEK 24.96

-15.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$3.21 SEK 31.51

-27.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$78.4 SEK 769

-43.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$10.03 SEK 98.5

-61.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.72 SEK 16.90

-37.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$47.45 SEK 466

-65.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.71 SEK 16.73

28.65%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$30.2K SEK 296.1K

13.31%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$29.3K SEK 287.8K

32.04%

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

$161 €144

$144 SEK 1,417

11.63%

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

$18.41 €16.49

$27.58 SEK 271

-33.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$32.34 SEK 317

1.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$30.33 SEK 298

46.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$26.38 SEK 259

-27.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$14.58 SEK 143

-34.16%

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

$668 €598

$142 SEK 1,389

371.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$4,986 SEK 48.9K

253.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$49.41 SEK 485

106.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$44.31 SEK 435

0.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$79.2 SEK 777

24.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$100 SEK 983

23.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$908 SEK 8,912

77.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$778 SEK 7,631

53.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$1,325 SEK 13.0K

112.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,123 SEK 11.0K

79.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$4,073 SEK 40.0K

92.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$2,733 SEK 26.8K

67.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$2,864 SEK 28.1K

-45.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.93

-2.04%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kalmar

$778 39.8% 34.7% $412

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kalmar

$384 19.7% 41.1% $112

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kalmar

$295 15.1% 21.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kalmar

$204 10.5% 3.8% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kalmar

$123 6.3% 25.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kalmar

$59 3.1% 6.7% $4.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kalmar

$110 5.6% 73.9% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $908 in Kalmar. 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 82% higher in Kalmar, 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 in Lisbon versus $71 in Kalmar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $384 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

35,170

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Kalmar 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Kalmar

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 Kalmar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,953 in Kalmar – Kalmar comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $2,930 in Kalmar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalmar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $908 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $142 in Kalmar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Lisbon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,953 in Kalmar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kalmar – 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.