Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lulea: $1,823 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Lulea
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,823
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London 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 London and in Lulea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,823 in Lulea, rent included.

  • London $4,086
  • Lulea $1,823

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $2,920 in Lulea, rent included.

  • London $5,816
  • Lulea $2,920

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $4,016 in Lulea, rent included.

  • London $7,546
  • Lulea $4,016

London costs about 124% more than Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both London and Lulea sit above the global median – London by 205%, Lulea by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Lulea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.62 £20.11
$11.72 SEK 117
127.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 £81.3
$95.5 SEK 955
12.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.39 £7.85
$10.95 SEK 109
-5.11%
Cappuccino
$5.79 £4.38
$4.36 SEK 43.52
32.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 £2.27
$2.51 SEK 25.10
19.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 £1.63
$1.87 SEK 18.66
14.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.35 £7.06
$8.58 SEK 85.8
8.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.84 £5.93
$9.49 SEK 94.8
-17.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Lulea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 £1.35
$1.77 SEK 17.71
1.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 £1.56
$3.26 SEK 32.60
-36.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 £1.74
$4.94 SEK 49.41
-53.24%
Eggs
$5.05 £3.82
$4.65 SEK 46.43
8.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.57 £9.50
$12.25 SEK 122
2.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.66 £8.05
$13.21 SEK 132
-19.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.13 £12.94
$26.18 SEK 262
-34.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 £2.29
$2.55 SEK 25.47
18.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 £1.07
$2.65 SEK 26.53
-46.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 £2.31
$2.49 SEK 24.87
22.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.38 £2.56
$4.11 SEK 41.10
-17.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 £1.26
$2.04 SEK 20.39
-18.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.31
$1.54 SEK 15.43
12.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 £1.07
$3.36 SEK 33.58
-58.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 £1.35
$1.29 SEK 12.93
38.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.22 £17.55
$6.68 SEK 66.7
247.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.99 £9.82
$12.05 SEK 120
7.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.18 £2.40
$1.78 SEK 17.77
78.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 £3.33
$1.72 SEK 17.15
156.40%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Lulea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.87 £2.93
$3.32 SEK 33.21
16.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$250 £189
$55.4 SEK 554
351.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.71 £4.31
$9.04 SEK 90.3
-36.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 £2.51
$2.05 SEK 20.52
62.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$57.9 £43.76
$70.6 SEK 706
-17.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.54
$1.77 SEK 17.65
15.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.4K
$31.9K SEK 318.5K
17.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.9K
$33.5K SEK 334.6K
22.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Lulea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$376 £284
$160 SEK 1,603
134.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.88 £13.51
$31.51 SEK 315
-43.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.01 £30.24
$26.96 SEK 269
48.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Lulea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.2 £46.22
$46.15 SEK 461
32.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.07 £15.93
$35.47 SEK 354
-40.60%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.57
$12.94 SEK 129
38.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Lulea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,865 £2,165
$153 SEK 1,528
1773.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.7K
$5,466 SEK 54.6K
546.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Lulea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £87.7
$117 SEK 1,168
-0.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.1 £40.87
$31.97 SEK 320
69.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 £95.7
$120 SEK 1,202
5.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$159 £120
$161 SEK 1,611
-1.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Lulea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,853 £2,156
$778 SEK 7,773
266.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,301 £1,739
$581 SEK 5,811
295.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,201 £3,931
$1,418 SEK 14.2K
266.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,723 £2,813
$1,098 SEK 11.0K
238.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$19.0K £14.4K
$3,049 SEK 30.5K
523.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,881 £5,955
$2,254 SEK 22.5K
249.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Lulea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,818 £3,641
$2,595 SEK 25.9K
85.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.65
3.85
20.78%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Lulea
$581 74.7% $1.7K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$434
Lulea
$219 49.6% $215
Eating Out
London
$397
Lulea
$258 34.9% $138
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Lulea
$404 15.6% $54
Getting Around
London
$288
Lulea
$88 69.4% $200
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Lulea
$194 5.7% $12
Sport & Entertainment
London
$97
Lulea
$72 25.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $778 in Lulea. 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 86% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London versus $96.0 in Lulea. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in London vs $404 in Lulea – so London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇸🇪 Lulea
🕒 Local time
06:08 6:08 AM
07:08 7:08 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
73,864
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Lulea 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • 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
London vs Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Lulea compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,823 in Lulea – roughly 124% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Lulea?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $2,734 in Lulea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Lulea?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lulea, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $96.0 in Lulea. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lulea, where all-in costs run around $1,823, than in London at $4,086. In Lulea it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Lulea?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,823 in Lulea to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Lulea safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between London and Lulea?
If budget matters most, go with Lulea. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

London vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?