Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Varberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,635 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
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Varberg Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Varberg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,635 in Varberg.

Lisbon $2,210
Varberg $1,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,623 in Varberg.

Lisbon $3,275
Varberg $2,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,610 in Varberg.

Lisbon $4,341
Varberg $3,610

Living in Lisbon is roughly 35% more expensive than in Varberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Varberg 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$15.35 SEK 152

8.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$76.3 SEK 758

-19.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$10.20 SEK 101

11.37%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.83 SEK 38.04

-22.45%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.19 SEK 11.82

92.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.02 SEK 10.13

70.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$6.18 SEK 61.4

-44.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$7.42 SEK 73.7

-55.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.43 SEK 14.17

-18.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.96 SEK 29.43

-35.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$3.44 SEK 34.16

-56.10%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.13 SEK 41.00

-2.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.77 SEK 127

1.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$10.88 SEK 108

-28.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$19.85 SEK 197

-10.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.97 SEK 29.50

-22.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.53 SEK 25.10

-31.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.95 SEK 29.25

-36.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$4.21 SEK 41.80

-38.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.47 SEK 14.59

23.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.49 SEK 14.75

32.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.53 SEK 25.15

-41.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.97 SEK 9.65

-25.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$6.77 SEK 67.3

-2.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$10.24 SEK 102

-45.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.07 SEK 20.54

-34.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.18 SEK 11.71

81.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$2.94 SEK 29.15

-20.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$77.8 SEK 773

-42.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$4.93 SEK 49.01

-21.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$2.41 SEK 23.89

-55.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$49.63 SEK 493

-66.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.81 SEK 18.01

21.55%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$33.0K SEK 327.6K

3.66%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

15.30%

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

$161 €145

$141 SEK 1,400

14.39%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$19.92 SEK 198

-7.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$29.69 SEK 295

10.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$40.37 SEK 401

10.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$40.39 SEK 401

-52.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$15.84 SEK 157

-39.39%

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

$668 €600

$149 SEK 1,477

348.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,455 SEK 34.3K

409.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$70.9 SEK 704

43.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$40.23 SEK 400

10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$108 SEK 1,077

-9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$149 SEK 1,479

-16.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$798 SEK 7,926

101.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$495 SEK 4,916

140.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,221 SEK 12.1K

130.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$915 SEK 9,087

120.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$6,532 SEK 64.9K

20.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$3,568 SEK 35.4K

28.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$3,103 SEK 30.8K

-49.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

1.9

102.63%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Varberg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Varberg

$495 30.3% 58.4% $695

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Varberg

$352 21.5% 29.1% $79

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Varberg

$254 15.5% 4.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Varberg

$191 11.7% 10.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Varberg

$166 10.1% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Varberg

$72 4.4% 13% $8.3

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Varberg

$107 6.5% 68.5% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $798 in Varberg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varberg pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $76 in Varberg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $352 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇸🇪 Varberg

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

27,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Varberg 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Varberg

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 Varberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Varberg differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,635 including rent). Varberg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $798 in Varberg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $149 in Varberg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,635 in Varberg versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varberg but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Varberg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Varberg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.