Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kristianstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Kristianstad: $1,723 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Kristianstad
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,723
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kristianstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,723 in Kristianstad.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Kristianstad $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,674 in Kristianstad.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Kristianstad $2,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $3,625 in Kristianstad.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Kristianstad $3,625

Living in Lisbon is roughly 29% more expensive than in Kristianstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Kristianstad 28% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$13.82 SEK 137
19.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$78.1 SEK 773
-21.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$12.27 SEK 122
-8.15%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$4.54 SEK 45.00
-32.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.59 SEK 25.62
-12.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$2.19 SEK 21.73
-21.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$7.05 SEK 69.9
-51.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$7.22 SEK 71.5
-52.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$2.06 SEK 20.39
-45.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$3.06 SEK 30.32
-39.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$3.56 SEK 35.29
-57.02%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$4.18 SEK 41.46
-5.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$12.17 SEK 121
4.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$10.51 SEK 104
-24.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$15.52 SEK 154
9.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.97 SEK 29.42
-23.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.51 SEK 24.91
-30.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.68 SEK 26.59
-30.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$4.43 SEK 43.88
-41.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.61 SEK 15.95
15.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.52 SEK 15.04
32.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$2.12 SEK 21.00
-32.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$1.47 SEK 14.56
-44.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$8.16 SEK 80.9
-19.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$11.08 SEK 110
-49.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$1.90 SEK 18.78
-32.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$2.17 SEK 21.49
-4.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$3.37 SEK 33.35
-30.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
$79.4 SEK 787
-44.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$5.40 SEK 53.5
-26.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.54 SEK 15.24
-29.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
$62.3 SEK 618
-73.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.67 SEK 16.58
36.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$36.5K SEK 361.9K
-7.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$31.1K SEK 308.0K
26.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$105 SEK 1,038
59.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$23.44 SEK 232
-19.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$39.61 SEK 392
-16.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$38.00 SEK 377
21.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
$27.37 SEK 271
-29.89%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$14.94 SEK 148
-34.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$142 SEK 1,409
376.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$4,504 SEK 44.6K
275.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$85.9 SEK 851
17.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$34.99 SEK 347
30.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$77.4 SEK 767
29.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$131 SEK 1,298
-6.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
$758 SEK 7,509
112.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
$612 SEK 6,062
95.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
$1,349 SEK 13.4K
112.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
$989 SEK 9,798
101.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
$4,378 SEK 43.4K
73.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
$2,402 SEK 23.8K
79.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Kristianstad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$2,508 SEK 24.8K
-36.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.45
11.59%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kristianstad: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Kristianstad
$612 48.9% $585
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Kristianstad
$351 30.1% $81
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Kristianstad
$271 11.8% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Kristianstad
$168 23.5% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Kristianstad
$148 11% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Kristianstad
$68 3.3% $2.2
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Kristianstad
$106 68.2% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $758 in Kristianstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kristianstad pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Lisbon vs $78.0 in Kristianstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $351 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇸🇪 Kristianstad
🕒 Local time
00:08 12:08 AM
01:08 1:08 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
35,711
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Kristianstad 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Kristianstad

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 Kristianstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kristianstad cheaper than Lisbon?
Kristianstad is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Lisbon or Kristianstad?
On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Kristianstad. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Lisbon and Kristianstad?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $758 in Kristianstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Lisbon and in Kristianstad?
All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Lisbon versus $1,723 in Kristianstad – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Kristianstad runs roughly 80% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Lisbon or in Kristianstad?
At $1,723 in Kristianstad versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Kristianstad but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kristianstad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Lisbon or Kristianstad more family-friendly?
For families, Kristianstad is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lisbon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Lisbon or Kristianstad?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Kristianstad are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Kristianstad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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