Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,820 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Lulea
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,820
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Lulea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Lisbon versus $1,820 in Lulea.

  • Lisbon $2,223
  • Lulea $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Lisbon versus $2,946 in Lulea.

  • Lisbon $3,271
  • Lulea $2,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,319 in Lisbon versus $4,073 in Lulea.

  • Lisbon $4,319
  • Lulea $4,073

Living in Lisbon is roughly 22% more expensive than in Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 65% above, Lulea 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.50 €14.67
$11.71 SEK 116
40.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.3 €54.5
$96.1 SEK 952
-36.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.27 €10.03
$11.04 SEK 109
2.08%
Cappuccino
$3.06 €2.72
$4.38 SEK 43.41
-30.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.45 SEK 24.24
-7.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 €1.54
$1.94 SEK 19.20
-10.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 €3.02
$8.56 SEK 84.8
-60.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.02
$9.41 SEK 93.2
-63.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 €1.00
$1.82 SEK 17.99
-38.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.65
$3.42 SEK 33.84
-45.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$4.75 SEK 47.11
-67.79%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.53
$4.67 SEK 46.31
-15.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.76 €11.35
$12.48 SEK 124
2.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.02
$13.11 SEK 130
-39.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 €15.09
$26.07 SEK 258
-34.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.44 SEK 24.16
-6.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.66 SEK 26.36
-34.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$2.36 SEK 23.36
-21.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.57 €2.28
$4.16 SEK 41.21
-38.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$2.09 SEK 20.69
-11.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.50 SEK 14.82
34.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 €1.28
$3.30 SEK 32.69
-56.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$1.27 SEK 12.59
-35.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.56 €5.83
$7.06 SEK 70.0
-7.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$12.04 SEK 119
-53.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 €1.14
$1.78 SEK 17.63
-28.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.77 SEK 17.53
16.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.35 €2.09
$3.23 SEK 31.99
-27.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.18 €39.30
$56.5 SEK 560
-21.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.99 €3.55
$8.73 SEK 86.5
-54.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$2.05 SEK 20.33
-46.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.64 €14.81
$70.8 SEK 702
-76.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.74 SEK 17.24
31.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.7K €30.0K
$31.9K SEK 316.5K
5.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K €35.0K
$33.3K SEK 329.9K
18.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 €149
$161 SEK 1,595
4.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.80 €16.72
$31.36 SEK 311
-40.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.09 €29.43
$26.51 SEK 263
24.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.01 €40.93
$45.47 SEK 450
1.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.19 €17.07
$35.02 SEK 347
-45.20%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 €8.75
$12.85 SEK 127
-23.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$677 €602
$150 SEK 1,490
350.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K €15.1K
$5,570 SEK 55.2K
203.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.1
$120 SEK 1,189
-15.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.76 €40.70
$32.64 SEK 323
40.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 €88.9
$120 SEK 1,188
-16.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 €109
$161 SEK 1,593
-23.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 €1,436
$783 SEK 7,763
105.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,065
$584 SEK 5,786
104.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,862 €2,545
$1,449 SEK 14.4K
97.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,990 €1,770
$1,104 SEK 10.9K
80.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,577 €6,740
$3,072 SEK 30.4K
146.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,307 €3,831
$2,194 SEK 21.7K
96.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Lulea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,588 €1,412
$2,498 SEK 24.8K
-36.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
3.85
-

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Lulea
$584 51.2% $613
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$269
Lulea
$404 49.9% $134
Eating Out
Lisbon
$242
Lulea
$259 6.7% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$219
Lulea
$219 0.2% $0.5
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$166
Lulea
$195 17.2% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$66
Lulea
$71 8.3% $5.5
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Lulea
$88 40.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Lisbon and $783 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 57% 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 $96.0 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $404 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇸🇪 Lulea
🕒 Local time
15:02 3:02 PM
16:02 4:02 PM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
73,864
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Lulea 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Lulea

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 Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Lulea?
Lisbon and Lulea differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,223 vs $1,820 including rent). Lulea 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 57% lower in Lulea. 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 Lulea?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Lisbon versus $783 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Lulea?
Childcare runs $677 in Lisbon versus $150 in Lulea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 50% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,820 in Lulea versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lulea but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Lulea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Lulea?
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 Lulea safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Lulea 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 Lulea?
Expats usually find Lulea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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